


A Monster of a Different Colour

by Rioghna



Series: Daddy's Little Girl !verse [10]
Category: Labyrinth (1986), Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Daddy's little girl 'verse, Gen, Humor, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-08-07 14:20:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 29,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7718095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rioghna/pseuds/Rioghna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma and her Governess are visiting Rose at the Dark Castle.  What could the two of them possibly get into?  Direct sequel to "Not All Monsters"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

 

A Monster of a Different Colour

Princess Emma looked out of the carriage window and bounced excitedly. "Almost there, I can see the village, or where the road splits to go to the village anyway," she told her governess. The woman, who wasn't terribly fond of long carriage trips to begin with, and even less with ones that ended at the Dark Castle, bit back a sharp comment. Her stomach was queasy and she wasn't entirely sure that opening her mouth was a good idea. A proper lady was never sick in front of others.

It was almost a month since the unfortunate incident with the boys in the capital city. The sorcerer, his wife and their unnatural child had returned to the Dark Castle, for which Allison was heartily grateful. She didn't approve of sorcery, though she knew it was sometimes necessary, and one certainly didn't _socialise_ with the creatures. Nor did she feel that young Princess Emma should be encouraged in the friendship with...well, she wasn't entirely certain _what_ the girl was, but she was most certainly not an appropriate social companion. Her mother was the daughter of a relatively minor Lord, which left her far down in the order of precedence. The sorcerer, on the other hand, besides being the Lord of a moderately large, though scarcely populated fiefdom, had been awarded a court baronet for his help against the Evil Queen, though he paid no attention to it, or other titles, and was an advisor to the King and Queen. But he wasn't human. That put both of them down near the bottom of the list of good companions for Princess Emma in her mind.

A week ago, however, the King and Queen had told her to prepare the princess for a trip. "We are sending you to the Dark Castle for a few weeks. There are a couple of delegations coming to town to iron out some trade agreements. We will be very busy and Emma will be bored stiff, so Belle has agreed to an extended visit."

"A visit to the Dark Castle?" the woman had said, holding back a squeak. She had enough problems with them visiting the capital, especially considering what had happened the last time the girls were together.

"Don't worry, it's a very well appointed castle and I am certain that Rumplestiltskin can fix you something for your allergies," the Queen had said kindly before dismissing her. Allison had managed to assure that the mangy cat the two girls had rescued before went home with the sorcerer's family by being extremely allergic to it. Not that she _liked_ cats, she didn't and they didn't like her. They had no place in a properly run Castle or Palace, except in the kitchens and storerooms, maybe the stables, to keep the vermin down. If they did have to be kept as pets, they should be sleek, beautiful animals, not flea bitten mangy creatures with scars and a half missing ear. But she had no choice. Perhaps, if she was fortunate, she could manage to show the princess how wrong it was that she should associate with people like the sorcerer and his family, though and speaking of....

"Your Highness, would you like to ride in front of me? It's only another mile and a half up the mountain." Sir Baelfire, another pestilential member of that family was addressing her through the carriage window. Of course, he at least looked normal and was riding as their protection. It gave him a good excuse to visit his family. She heard a rumour that the young man was born before the sorcerer took on his curse, but it was only a rumour.

Normally, Allison would have objected, but as her stomach rolled a little more as the carriage bounced, she just nodded tightly, only almost losing her temper when Emma had gone out the carriage window. The young knight caught her with a laugh. "We could have stopped the carriage first, you know," he told her as he lifted her up into his saddle.

"But that would take time," Emma said with the impatience of the young. "I want to get there fast. I wish Rumplestiltskin had just transported us."

"Yes, but you know that takes a lot of magic, right?" From inside the carriage came a choking sound.

"I don't think she travels well," the princess said confidentially. "Did Rose get her new horse yet? Maybe we can go riding."

 

A half an hour later the group pulled up into the forecourt of the large stone castle. Lady Belle and Rose were waiting for them along with a girl of about sixteen. Even as the governess stepped out of the carriage and the princess slipped down from the horse assisted by Baelfire, the sorcerer himself appeared in a puff of smoke. "Bae," he called happily.

"Hey Papa," the young man said, giving him a hug.

"And Princess Emma of course," he bowed with one of his trademark flourishes. The princess grinned and curtseyed.

Belle, ever the gracious hostess, did the formal welcoming as the sorcerer turned his back on all of them, and took his son off. "Shouldn't he be guarding the princess?" Allison sniffed indignantly.

"Inside the Dark Castle? There is no danger here," Belle assured her. "Now, I am sure you would like to clean up and rest from the road. Let me show you to your rooms. Rumple..." she called, nodding towards the carriage. With a casual gesture, the luggage disappeared. "Thomas, please tend the horses."

"Yes, my lady," the dark haired young man said as he went to attend the tasks, while Belle gave him an encouraging smile. Rumplestiltskin had been right about the lad, what he'd needed was some care, food, a clean bed and no one who knew his father. Of course, with Rumple, most people assumed he'd been traded away, but Thomas had confided in her that it didn't bother him at all. "Better to assume I was traded away for a good cause than not missed or wanted in the first place." He was getting there, slowly, learning that he could be valued.

Allison allowed herself to be convinced to leave Emma with Rose and the girl, who was called Grace and appeared to be known to the Princess as well, while she freshened up. She admitted, if only to herself that her rooms were nice, and the basin, which filled at the touch, was particularly nice. Not that she had any intention of mentioning it. She knew what kind of people these were, and the sooner she could convince the princess of that, and get her to start behaving properly and associating with the right people the better.

She left the rooms and headed down the grand staircase towards the hall.


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

Belle smiled politely as she watched the woman enter the hall. She didn't like what she had seen of the royal governess, but she was willing to hold her opinions to herself for the moment, and maybe, just maybe, accept that she might be a little oversensitive where she husband and daughter were concerned. At least for the moment, she still needed more information. In fact that was at least part of the motivation behind this visit. While Snow White could grit her teeth and grimace at the governess' personal prejudices, she would not have her trying to impose them on her daughter. The kingdom was entirely too diverse for that sort of nonsense, nor would it do for her to offer insult to any of their allies. Things were stable for now, more so than they ever had been, still that could change. But enough wool gathering. "Please come and join me. It is just about time for tea," Belle said, indicating a seat. "We don't stand much on ceremony around here. It's such a small household."

"Your daughter's governess, surely..." the woman started.

"We don't have one. I prefer to teach her myself. Unlike the Queen, my duties are much fewer, though her father sees to part of her education, especially her magical education, himself. Who better?"

"Who indeed," Allison replied with a tight smile. "The young lady, Grace," she asked, indicating where the three girls were standing by a cabinet while Rose showed them something.

"Yes?" Belle asked.

"Who is she? I gather she is known to the princess as well, but I don't recognise her."

"You wouldn't, necessarily. They have not been in the Capital in some time. Her father is Jefferson, the realm hopper. They call him the Hatter. He doesn't get to court often. He is..."

"Mostly retired these days," Jefferson said as he came into the Hall.

"Daddy," Grace said, though now at the ripe old age of fifteen, she no longer threw herself into his arms whenever he returned from a journey.

"Hello my darling girl," he said. "Back by tea, as promised. Can you spare a cup, Belle?"

"Always for you, Jefferson. Girls, go tell Rumple and Bae that it's tea time."

As the girls went out, Jefferson threw his long legged frame down onto the nearest end of the settee with a smile towards Allison. The woman eyed him back cautiously as if he might bite or possibly explode unexpectedly. He was wearing his usual working clothes, trousers and knee boots in black, and a milk white shirt with a brocade vest that was, if not restrained, then certainly not as extravagant as some he owned. He had dropped the battered leather case that held his special hat down beside him and seemed perfectly willing to give as good as he got.

"Jefferson, this is Allison, she's Emma's new governess." As she said it, she could see the woman cringe at the familiarity, but she was hardly going to use the girl's title around the house.

"Ah, come to avoid the trade talks, yes. I don't blame her, dull stuff, at least as long as everyone behaves," he said with a grin.

"I would hardly..." she started primly, but at that moment they were joined by the three girls as well as the sorcerer and his son.

"Jefferson, see you are back earlier than expected." Rumplestiltskin addressed the man with a handshake and a smile.

"I should take the children..." Allison began, thinking that it would be much more appropriate if they left, not to mention having to drink and eat with this collection of freaks.

"Oh, no need. Rumple..." Belle said and gestured to the limited amount of seating.

"Of course," he said with an easy gesture that causedanother settee to appear between Belle and Allison, much to the governess' shock. Grace went to sit next to her father, while Rose and Emma sat on the new addition with Rumplestiltskin, and Bae joined Grace and Jefferson. "So what is for tea?" the sorcerer asked, ignoring the governess as well as the sly smile on a couple of faces.

 

Having finished their tea, Rumplestiltskin announced it was time for Rose's magic lesson. "Can't let you get behind in your studies," he reminded.

"Can I come too?" Emma asked hopefully.

"Of course not," Allison snapped. Being polite with the unnatural sorcerer sitting there as if he was entitled to be in polite company rather than locked away in a cell somewhere was getting on her nerves. "You are the Crown Princess, you don't have magic."

"Not entirely true," Rumplestiltskin said distractedly as he set down the cup he was drinking from, one with a chip in the rim which would most decidedly _not_ be allowed in any establishment she had a say about. "Emma is a child of True Love, which gives her a high potential for using magic, with some training. But as far as I know, you still haven't expressed any, have you?" he asked the princess.

"No," Emma replied sullenly. "But maybe I'm not trying right?" The note in her voice was hopeful.

"While your...Rose is having her lesson, you can work on your embroidery," Allison told her. "Just because you are away from the Capital, does not mean I am going to allow you to neglect your lessons either."

"Embroidery isn't a study, it's a waste of time," Emma shot back.

"Now..."

"I'll stay with you, Emma," Grace said. "I have some sewing to do." The governess smiled at the girl's much more appropriate attitude. "I've got to finish my hat. Daddy says I can't properly learn to travel to other realms until I finish my own hat." The governess' approval evaporated.

"Good, it's all settled then. I will join you as well," Belle told them with a smile. "I have socks to knit. Bae..."

"I'm going to see Graham," the young man told her. "I haven't been around much and I want to see how the little one is."

"Good, it will save him a trip up to the Castle," she said, her eyes flicking towards Allison. "Be back before sundown. I've not looked at the lunar chart, but with Willow's pregnancy, she doesn't have her usual control."

Allison just stared. More unnaturalness. She didn't know exactly who they were talking about, but the possibility of a pregnant werewolf in the neighbourhood didn't make her very happy. Of course she was familiar with Red, the Queen's dear friend, but had really thought she was the last, that the rest had been properly hunted down and killed years before.

"I will, mama," the young man teased. "I'll be back for dinner and I will give them your best."

"I'm off to get cleaned up," Jefferson said with a smile, and he too rose. "It was lovely to meet you," he told Allison, though Belle, looking at him, noticed that the woman's expressions hadn't gotten past him. But then the Hatter was very good at hiding his canniness behind a facade of pleasant enough madness. He would know there was a reason for the woman's presence, and Belle betted that he would want some answers at some point this evening.

 

Belle had excused herself for 'some details' and suggested that the two of them gather their sewing things and met her in her small parlour. "I know where it is," Emma assured the governess as she dragged her feet towards the quarters they had been assigned. There was no proper children's wing in the the castle, or none that was used that way. On the one hand, the informality annoyed Allison's overdeveloped sense of propriety, but on the other, it mean that she was not expected to take charge of the strange creature. It would not be quite so bad if she looked either more monsterous or less, but as it was, she was a strange looking creature, clearly not human, but not hideous enough to be hidden away. Of course, her father...the woman shuddered at the thought of the imp and more at the obvious devotion between him and his wife.

Pushing all that aside so as to keep the (admittedly excellent) tea where it was, she managed to get the princess and her embroidery basket gathered, all the while trying to impart some wisdom. The princess was entirely to familiar with the imp and his family.

"You should be addressing her as Lady Belle. You show respect because she is your elder. She, of course, should properly address you as 'your Highness', as should the rest of them. This household is even more lax than..."

"Rumplestiltskin and Belle are friends of my parents, and supporters. Rose and I have known each other practically from the day we were born. I was here in the Dark Castle that day, but I don't remember it. My dad likes to tell the story. I'm not going to treat them like they are some strangers," the girl said stubbornly.

"Then you will have no dessert until you learn to behave properly. This cannot continue. Standards have been entirely too lax and I won't have it," Allison said sharply. "Now, what do you have to say to that?"

"Fat chance," the princess muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"So be it," Emma said in her haughtiest princess tone (the one she got from doing imitations of Princess Alexandra). It wouldn't matter in the least. She and Rose had been raiding the kitchen in the Dark Castle for snacks since they had been old enough to sneak away while JoAnna had a nap. _When I get back, I have got to talk to my mom about her,_ she thought. _I'm never going to be **that** kind of princess, no matter what._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long. The heat is really interfering with me getting things done. Please enjoy the update, and wish me luck with a break in the weather.


	3. Surprise meeting

 

 

"She's a nightmare, really. She is always going on about titles and manners, all that boring stuff," Emma told Rose. It was technically after both girls' bedtime, but after Allison had retired (and made Emma do the same), citing the long journey, Rose had slipped down to get her friend. They had listened at the door, and, assured the woman was asleep, were headed to the castle kitchen.

True to her word, Allison had refused dessert for Emma, saying she was being punished. Rose, who was a good friend, turned down hers as well, saying it would be unfair to have dessert in front of her friend. It was the sort of gesture that the royal governess would approve of and call on the princess to emulate, were it anyone else. Instead, the meal ended with the woman looking sourly at the table. Due to the small size of the household and its 'informality' (and totally lax standards in her opinion, which she didn't hide well), the royal governess had been expected to eat with everyone. "No point in having you eat in the nursery with Rose and Emma," Belle had said with a pleasant smile, while the two girls tried not to giggle.

"Maybe she will get better?" Rose suggested as they slipped down the stone steps following the small glowing light Rose had produced.

"Maybe you can turn her into a snail?" Emma asked, only sort of joking.

"I'm not really up to snails yet. But maybe she will offend Papa."

"She's pretty good at being offensive," the princess agreed as they made their way into the empty kitchen, or rather the mostly empty kitchen. In the corner next to the hearth in a basket was a cat, just waking up. "Oh, there he is. I meant to ask. Hey puss," she called. The cat they had rescued was no longer the scared, shabby animal they had rescued. Oh, he still had scars and his one ear was partially missing, but his fur was glossy and he'd put on weight. He looked at the girls, and stretched before strolling over, expecting treats.

"Mama made me put him in the kitchen while you are visiting because of Allison's allergies," Rose sniffed. "But we can come visit." She went into the pantry and came back with two tarts, and a jug of milk, which she proceeded to pour into two cups and a saucer. "This is better anyway."

"Yes, kind of like an adventure. It's not like we are going to have any of those with Allison around. Honestly, all she ever wants to do is have me practice my embroidery, work on manners and comportment, and tell me what I am doing wrong. Don't even get me started on riding. She wants me to ride sidesaddle!"

"We'll have to see. I'm sure with my..." They both froze as the kitchen door opened, wondering if they'd just been caught, but it was only Bae, clearly on a similar mission.

"Your Highness," he said with a smile and a teasing bow.

"Don't you 'your Highness' me, Sir Baelfire, I get enough of that from the royal griper in chief upstairs," Emma shot back.

"All right, sorry. Is there some of that for me? I really miss mama's cooking. Not that the cooks at the castle are bad or anything," he added for Emma's benefit, but she just nodded, a mouth full of tart.

"What do you think, Bae?" Rose asked as she got up to get her older brother a tart, and a cup. The two of them were close, especially considering the age difference, and she trusted him.

"About what?" he asked, moving the cat so he could sit down. "Are you talking about your new...er...minder?" They both nodded. He thought for a few minutes before answering. "I think she's got some pretty firm ideas about people she's never met or had dealings with. Who knows, maybe she will get better when she realises that we are just like other people."

"I wish," Emma sighed, returning to her treat. "Personally, I'm praying for snail."

 

Allison woke suddenly in a strange room. For a moment she was disoriented, trying to figure out where she was. Then it came back to her, she was in the Dark Castle, home of the Dark One and his strange family. Her second thought was for her charge. She jumped out of the bed, grabbed her robe and slippers and went next door to the princess' room to find...nothing. The wretched girl wasn't in her room.

Thinking she might have gone into the necessary room (and it was much better than a chamber pot, but she would never say), she went to the door, but it was ajar and the room empty. Now Allison was starting to be concerned. Not only was Emma perfectly capable of finding trouble without help, but who knew what she would get into with the collection of oddities under this roof?

Back in her room, she hurried through a very abbreviated morning wash up before rushing out, having barely secured her cap. She was trying to figure out where to start looking. The castle was large and she'd not really made note of where things were the day before as Princess Emma seemed to know the place well. If they were in the capital, the girl would often slip off first thing in the morning to climb into bed with her parents. No matter how many times Allison tried to convince them all it was inappropriate, the King and Queen allowed it, especially if the day was going to be a busy one. 'You worry too much, Allison," her majesty would say with a smile. But her parents weren't here, so where could she possibly be?

The frantic governess made her way down to the great hall, one of the few places she knew how to find, hoping for some clues. In the large room, a fire was blazing merrily, and the table was laid for breakfast. Moments later, the excited voices of the two girls came from the other side of the room. "Good morning, Allison," Emma said. She was dressed in a thoroughly inappropriate pair of britches, shirt and jerkin that the woman was almost certain had not been in the princess' baggage. "We've been out to look at Rose's new horse. Perhaps we can go riding later." Behind the two girls, Sir Baelfire was following them. He looked at the woman and nodded.

"I'll just go and tell mama we are back," he said, and turned to go through another door, leaving the girls with the clearly upset woman.

"What is it you think you were doing?" Allison asked her sharply. "How..."

"Good morning, Allison," Belle said as she appeared from the same door the young man had left through. "I trust you slept well?"

"Of course Lady Belle," the woman said. "The room was satisfactory, at least until I woke and found the princess gone." She gave the two girls a sharp look.

"Oh, they were fine. It's such a long journey. Johana, your predecessor, always liked to have a little bit of a rest. The girls are early risers, and they didn't want to wake you," Belle told her. "Bae, your father is in his tower, tell him it's time for breakfast. Grace and Jefferson should..."

"Be right here, my lady," Jefferson said as the two of them appeared in the doorway. "Never let it be said I was late for a meal."

"It has never been said," Belle teased.

"So very true, especially when your hospitality is so very well known." The realm hopper and his daughter took seats at the table while the royal governess seethed.

 

After two days, Allison was ready to explode. It was bad enough that she was expected to stay in the pestilential house, but to be subjected and have her charge subjected to all manner of strange creatures was beyond enduring. In a properly run castle, they would not be allowed in, except perhaps by the back entrance. Thus far, in addition to the Realm hopper and his daughter, who at least looked almost normal, there was a dark haired and bearded man who apparently acted as gamekeeper for the parkland around the Dark Castle. He brought with him his heavily pregnant wife, the wolf that was mentioned before, and their unnatural offspring. Emma, Grace, and the Dark One's daughter (she had trouble thinking of her as Rose) had taken the little creature over to play by the fire, while Lady Belle greeted her as a welcome guest!

'I'm surprised you are still getting out,' Belle had said, waving her into a seat.

'Not much longer now. But I've hit the restless stage, and Graham, well, he'll not let us out without him,' the wolf woman said with a fond smile that made Allison vaguely queasy. The two women shook their heads over the ways of men, while Allison sat with a smile plastered to her face that she was certain would crack.

That was just the start though. There were the dwarves, apparently come to do something to the castle. Them she was familiar with, they had been big supporters of the Queen during the war, or so it was said. But one of them brought a wife. Who had ever heard of a married dwarf, not only married but to a fairy, of all the unnatural things? Being supporters of the royal family was all well and good, but you didn't invite them 'round to tea.

Allison took a deep breath and tried to put it out of her head, concentrating on where she was going. The Lady Belle had offered her the chance to take a walk and clear her head, not to mention the suggestion of where to go. The lady of the Dark Castle explained that it was the day that she took things to those in the village who were in need, and that she always took Rose, and Emma when she was visiting. As much as Allison knew this was an appropriate occupation for a noblewoman, she was not up to a trip to the village, and pled a headache. The Lady had instantly offered her a headache potion and suggested the walk. 'There is a lovely little lake just down the path beyond the gardens,' she'd suggested. So, having no reason to refuse and wanting to be out of the castle, especially when the sorcerer would be remaining, she found herself coming out of a patch of woods just in sight of the lake.

The lady had been right, it was a beautiful spot, the dark blue lake surrounded by high mountains and deep woods. Perhaps this was just what she needed, a little space to think by herself.

"Well, well, what have we here?" A voice addressed her from the shadow of the trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been so slow to update this one, but here you go, better late than never, or I hope you think so. You know what to do....
> 
> Oh, if you care, you can take a guess at who she met down by the lake.


	4. Chance meeting

 

 

 

Allison jumped, barely managing to hold back a very unladylike shriek. The man who had addressed her was standing in the shadow of the trees several feet away. At first she worried that he was a bandit or worse, but he did not make a move towards her. He was tall, and well dressed, with dark hair and a rather handsome face with a moustache.

"Begging your pardon, my lady," he said, stepping forward with a bow into the sunshine. "It was not my intention to startle you." Allison found herself flustered, blushing like a girl at his manner.

"Oh no, it's...no harm done. I was lost in thought, and didn't think anyone would be here," she stammered.

"It is a lovely place for a bit of thinking," he agreed. "I was making use of it myself for that purpose, but I should leave you to it. Once again, my apologies for disturbing you."

"What? No...I mean, there is no need to go. There is plenty of room for us both," she said. After all, it was not for her to say who could come and go here. Honestly, it was rare for her to get much attention, especially not from a man, one who was both handsome and well spoken.

"Oh, I could not intrude, my lady. It wouldn't be right," he told her with a smile that held just a hint of mischief. "Just between us, I don't think I'm supposed to be here."

"Oh?" she asked. "Then how..."

"I was on my way to the village, or I thought I was, but it was such a lovely day, and I'm afraid I took the wrong path. When I got here, it was such a beautiful place that I decided to stop for a while." He stepped further away from the trees, and Allison got a proper look at him. His hair was black or as close to as made no never mind, and in addition to the moustache, his chin was covered with a bit of shadow, as if he'd not had time or space for a razor, but he was not unkempt. His eyes were dark and there was something just a touch roguish about his smile. Black leather pants, proper for traveling, unlike Rumplestiltskin who wore them all the time, and far too tight in her opinion. The stranger's boots were highly polished in places where the light coat of road dust had been brushed away, and his black shirt and vest were neat and well cared for. He was also wearing a black coat, carrying a pack, and wearing a sword, but who didn't on the road. Also he appeared to hold one arm close to his body, almost as if he was hiding it. "But I'm not exactly certain whose lands I am on, so it would be hard for me to have asked permission anyway, wouldn't it? You won't tell on me, will you, my lady?" he asked.

"You are on the lands of Rumplestiltskin," she said, unable to hide the distaste at his name. She looked back towards the castle rising up in the distance behind her.

"The Dark One? Well, well, so the old crocodile still lives," the man said softly.

"You know him?" Allison asked, surprised.

"We have met, but I wouldn't call us...friendly," he answered darkly, stepping closer.

"Well, then, I suppose I will just have to refrain from mentioning our meeting," the lady said smiling. It was good to know she was not the only one who didn't care for the creature. "It's not as if I know your name."

"How remiss of me, to forget introductions. But if you are part of his household, I would not want to be responsible for your getting into trouble with your lord. He is not a...man to be crossed."

"Rumplestiltkins is not _my_ lord," Allison responded hotly, stepping back, offended by the very suggestion. "I am only here with my charge, the Princess Emma. She is visiting with his daughter."

"Ah, and here I would have thought you not old enough for such a weighty position," he told her, moving closer. "A daughter you say? How did that happen? I've been away for a while, and clearly I've missed a great deal. Would you mind if I joined you, and you can catch me up? I'd hate to say the wrong thing. She's not some poor child that got traded away, is she?" Allison agreed, flattered. He offered her his arm and they continued down the path.

 

"It seems that I have held you up for far too long," the man said, looking up at the sky. Allison realised she had been gone far longer than she intended. They had walked around the lake, and finally stopped for a seat on a rock, which he insisted on covering with his coat first. "And yet, I am reluctant to end our association. I still haven't your name."

"Nor I yours," Allison said, flustered. "It is Allison, Allison Du Barry." Mentally she was berating herself for becoming so distracted. But it was not often that she got the attention of a man, especially such a handsome one, who genuinely seemed interested in her, and even with his injury, he was still attractive.

"Well, my lady Allison," he said, rising from where he'd been sitting on the grass beside her rock, to bow properly. "I am Killian Jones, Captain, late of His Majesty's Navy, and, if it is not too forward, I would very much like to continue our acquaintance later."

 

Allison practically skipped back up the path to the castle. Killian, what a lovely name. Of course, she had agreed it was best if she not mention their meeting. In addition to him being somewhere he wasn't supposed to be, and the impropriety of them spending so much time alone together, he had said there was some difficulty with Rumplestiltskin. "T'is a sad tale, hardly one for a first meeting on a beautiful day with a beautiful woman," he'd told her. "Another time perhaps?"

She arrived at the castle just as the Lady Belle and the girls returned from the village. "Well, Allison, I must say, you are looking much better," Belle said, smiling at her.

"The walk appears to have been just what I needed. You were right, it is a very special place." She was in such a good mood, she even forgot to give Rose her usual pinched and disapproving look. As she led them both to supervise their washing up for dinner, she was even pleasant.

Rose and Emma looked at each other as they followed. 'Crazy,' Emma mouthed behind her back. Rose laughed.

"Hurry up, girls, you wouldn't want to be late for tea, now would you?" Allison said, oblivious to them. She was too busy thinking about her new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I hope you are all up for the next little bit. Remember, if you are enjoying what I'm doing, let me know, leave a comment in the little box.


	5. Old friends, new information

 

 

Belle sat in front of the fire in the great hall of the Dark Castle darning a pair of Bae's socks, and thinking. She could, of course have had Rumplestiltskin do it with magic, but she actually enjoyed it and she knew Bae appreciated it. He liked a bit of mothering. Neither of them had ever said much about Rumple's first wife, though he'd admitted that he had killed her in a fit of rage sometime after Bae had disappeared through the portal. From what she had learned though, the woman barely deserved the title wife, much less mother. But those were not the things she needed to think about now.

Snow had asked Belle to take a good hard look at the royal governess. The Queen was afraid she was teaching Emma prejudice against the nonhuman members, both of the court and society in general. In a kingdom as diverse as theirs, not to mention the wider world where they had dealings, that would be more than a breach of good manners and protocol, it could actually do significant damage to their alliances. Besides, Snow and Charming most certainly did not want her instilled with those kind of 'values'. Thus far, while Allison had controlled her reactions, her personal prejudices were clear. Or rather they had been.

For the last two days, the woman had been positively pleasant. She had apparently forgotten or resended whatever it was that made her refuse to allow Emma dessert, allowed the two girls to go into the forest (with Graham and Bae, of course) to identify and pick magical herbs for Rumplestiltskin, and not even blinked when the message came that Prince Eric and Princess Ariel were coming to consult with Rumplestiltskin.

Of course, Ariel was human, at least part of the time. Belle was wondering what had wrought such a thorough change in the woman, and whether she needed to look suspiciously towards her husband. Not that Allison had stopped giving Rumplestiltskin disapproving looks, but many people did. Belle's thoughts distracted her until she heard the sound of footsteps in the hall. She looked up to find Emma and Rose had come in from the garden where Allison had been instructing them on flowers and teaching them to paint them.

"Mama, someone is here, I can feel it," Rose said excitedly.

"Of course there is," Rumplestiltskin said as he appeared in a *poof* of purple smoke that made the governess jump and caused Belle to look at him a little disapprovingly.

"You know I hate it when you do that in the house," she told him.

"Sorry, my love," he said, taking Belle's hand and kissing it. "I was on the far side of the castle, Sneezy wanted to show me something. Now," he said as he gave her a hand from her chair and led them all into the foyer. With a wave of his hand, the doors opened.

Prince Eric and Princess Ariel hadn't changed much since the last time she'd seen them, but when Belle went to greet her friends, she sensed something was going on. Behind, she could hear Allison lecturing about protocol but when she turned, the woman only looked a little strangely at Ariel.

"You didn't bring Stella with you?" Rose asked, a little disappointed.

"Not this time," Ariel told her. "She's staying with her grandfather Triton. She needs to spend time and get to know her cousins. He's taking them on their first lesson in learning to swim to other realms. She hasn't been spending enough time in the sea recently. But perhaps you can come visit us this summer."

"Yes, well, Princess Ariel, I'm sure you want to get freshened up," Rumplestiltskin said with a bow as he sent their luggage to their quarters. "Eric, why don't you join me in my study. We should be done by tea time, love," he said, kissing his wife's hand again before he whisked the other man away, leaving the rest to Belle.

 

There was a knock at the door of the study and Rumplestiltskin called for whoever it was to enter. "Bae, and you brought Graham, good. Sit down," he said waving them to chairs. "Now, Eric, tell them what you have been telling me."

" _The Jolly Roger_ has been sighted off the coast between our castle and the border we share with King Thomas. They don't have much in the way of good natural harbours down that way, no good place to put in, and once I heard, I sent the word out among my sailors that I wanted to know where she was."

"Hook's back in the Enchanted Forest, then," Rumplestiltskin said, softly.

"Any talk of going back to their old ways?" Bae asked. "Ships missing, that kind of thing? I should probably get back and tell..."

"Hold on," Eric told him. "I have more. One of the sailors came and told me he'd met a man who claimed to be crew on _the Jolly Roger_. He was drinking and complaining to anyone within hearing that rather than getting back to the business of making themselves some dishonest coin, his captain had gone off on some personal mission of his own."

"And did the sailor happen to say what that mission was, by any chance?" Rumple asked.

"Revenge."

 

The four men emerged just as Belle was about to call them for tea. Eric excused himself to do a quick wash up, while Graham said he needed to get back. "I don't like to be gone long with her so close," he explained.

Rumplestiltskin nodded. "Go get a horse from the stable, Dove will give you one. Just tell it to come home when you've done," he said. "I'd send you but..." He didn't need to say more. Startling any extremely pregnant woman was always a bad idea, when that woman was also a wolf, well, it probably wouldn't be the first time he'd been bitten, but it should be avoided. The man smiled and thanked the imp before leaving for his house deep in the forest.

Bae had taken himself off to get ready for tea as well, but by the time everything was set out, they had all made it back and found places for themselves. Ariel, after a bit of a dip, was feeling much more herself as she settled next to her husband. She was always happier after some time in water. Of course Bae never missed a meal when he was home or time spent with the family, especially his little sister. Allison didn't even object to joining them. Belle really hoped that she was mellowing. They were all settled with food and cups when the sorcerer announced that he had to be gone for a few hours after dinner. "I need to go have a word or two with a man about a deal he seems to have forgotten."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is what happens when I actually get writing time. If you like what I'm doing, you know what to do about it.


	6. Guess who's coming to tea.

 

The day after the arrival of Prince Eric and Princess Ariel had been a busy day around the Dark Castle. Rumplestiltskin was busy and Belle asked Allison to keep the girls to the nursery. When she inquired, she was told that it was nothing, just updating the wards on the Castle, magical protections. Additionally, Rose  was looking a little..well, if she'd been a normal child, Allison would have called her peaky and was getting tired easily. While it had given the governess a chance to get back to Emma's regular schedule of lessons, the princess was cranky. At least she was not expected to care for the strange girl when she needed to rest.  That would have been too much.

She had been concerned about the princess spending time with her when she was sick, but Belle had explained that it was nothing contagious. "Rosie will be fine in a few days. She just needs rest."

Unfortunately, it had prevented Allison from going down to the lake and meeting her friend. Killian was positively charming and Allison enjoyed his company. Also, he understood and was more than willing to listen and offer his sympathy for the situation she was in.

"I'm surprised that the king and queen allow their daughter to visit. After all, he _is_ the Dark One. I mean, calling upon him is sometimes a necessary evil, but...Surely they don't think that being married and a father has made him soft. Not to mention the kinds of _people_ he associates with," he had said as they sat together by the lake.

"It's because of his support during the war against Regina," she'd explained. "Of course, the queen is soft hearted. You know she even pardoned her stepmother? Now, of course, everyone thinks _she's_ changed as well, but we all know better."

Unfortunately for the last two days, she had missed him, being stuck in the house with the two girls. On the third day she went down to breakfast with Emma to find that the visiting royal couple (one of whom was a mermaid of all the things in the realm) were leaving as soon as they had eaten. "It was a lovely visit, but we really must get back," Eric said. It was a relief and the day got even better when Belle said that Rose would have to remain in her quarters for the day.

"She just needs to rest, she'll be fine," Belle assured Emma. "You can go up and keep her company. It's not as if she is contagious, just a little tired at this point. She'll be fine tomorrow. It just needs to be a quiet day. Grace is coming as well. Jefferson has a little business and her aunt is out of town." That perked up the princess. "Allison, if you want to take some time to yourself after Grace comes, you can. She can keep them company with games and things."

Allison smiled and thanked her graciously. "I could use a little quiet time of my own." She was thinking about what she would do. She could slip off to the lake and meet Killian. Perhaps this time she would even let him steal a kiss.

 

After breakfast, the governess took Emma up to Rose's room to see her friend and reassure her that the strange girl was all right. Rose was propped up in her bed. Allison looked at the girl, she was looking..brighter, as if something had changed. "Are you better, Rose?" Emma asked. "You look better."

"Emma, it's not polite..." Allison started.

"It's okay.  I'm fine. I just wish it didn't have to happen while you were visiting. I hate it. But Papa says it will stop when I'm done growing. But now that I've had my special bath and the oil he makes me, I'm much better. By tomorrow I'll be back to normal."

"Then tomorrow maybe we can go riding?" Emma suggested. Allison closed her eyes and prayed for strength. Not only did the princess flat refuse to ride sidesaddle, but she insisted on tearing around at an unladylike pace. The royal governess was also not fond of horses, considering them large, dangerous livestock.

"Thomas will be back too, maybe we can have a picnic. We will have to ask Mama, but I'm sure with Bae here too..."

"And who is this Thomas?" Allison asked. "Isn't that the stable boy?"

"He's not a stable boy," Rose explained. "Papa brought him back from the capital because he needed to get educated. He just helps Dove sometimes. But he goes to school in the village, so he isn't always around. He's going to be apprenticed next year, Papa says so." Before Allison could ask more questions, her parents came through the door.

"Are you feeling better, Rosie?" Rumplestiltskin said, kissing his daughter's head. It was odd to Allison, that the evil imp could also appear to be a loving father. Was it even possible for him to love them? She had heard rumours that they had True Love, but really, who ever heard of a sorcerer being capable of True Love?

"Fine now, Papa," she told him. "When can I get up?"

"You need to be quiet today," Belle reminded her. "Grace will be here though."

"Well, if you do everything that your mother tells you, I might, just might, have a surprise for you this afternoon," the sorcerer told her with an impish grin.

"What kind of surprise Papa?" Rose asked. Emma was also smiling, but Allison was concerned. What kind of surprise could the imp possibly have that would be any good?

"Yes, sir, what kind of surprise?" Emma asked. "You always have the best surprises."

"Thank you, Princess. I received a crystal this morning, how would you like to see your friends? I know it's been a while."

"Oh, Papa, could we? It will make being stuck indoors so much better. It's been a long time since they came for tea."

"If you stay quiet this morning, and don't give Allison any trouble until they arrive, then you may," Belle told her daughter. The two girls nodded solemnly, trying to look like they weren't as excited as they were.

"Can we have a proper tea up here? We can have it in the other room," Rose pleaded.

"I think we can arrange that. I'm sure that King Jareth will be agreeable," Belle said.

"Agreeable? I would say so. He likes a little time away from them," Rumplestiltskin said with a smile.

"King Jareth, I don't believe I've heard of him, where is he..." Allison began.

"Oh, he's not from this realm. He's the Goblin King."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this post actually kind of startled me. I didn't know where it was going, actually it was going somewhere completely different, but sometimes you have to go where the story goes, and the thought of Allison having to deal with goblins to tea was just too much. If you need back story on this, please look for 'You Remind me of the Babe'. And as usual, please leave the comment in the little box.


	7. Goblins in the nursery

 

Allison rushed away from the Dark Castle, feeling unsettled. She had been asked to do a lot of things since she had taken the position with King David and Queen Snow. In addition to dealing with their hoyden of a princess, so very different from her properly ladylike Princess Alexandra, she had to put up with the Dark One's strange half human daughter, had magic done in the parlour, been expected to help bathe a mangy stray _cat,_ and now this.

 

She had been shocked when the Dark One announced that they would be having royalty from another realm to tea, but the King of the Goblins?! Allison was only vaguely aware of goblins from stories, and she had no idea what to expect. She had no clue what the protocol was. The girls had, at least, played quietly for much of the morning, and finished their studies with no difficulty (though, admittedly, the Dark One's daughter rarely gave difficulty there, but she would never say). Overall Allison had just spent the morning supervising the two obedient girls and was actually starting to think it would not be so bad.

After lunch, which Princess Emma had requested she be allowed to eat with her friend since the wretched creature was supposed to be resting, they had even submitted to embroidery lessons without trouble. Emma had decided, after asking Rumplestiltskin for some of his gold thread, to make a handkerchief for Sir Baelfire. "For all his help," she explained. "He's always there to take me riding and things, and he came all the way here with us too."

The governess failed to comment. After all it _was_ his duty, and it had the advantage of allowing him to visit with his strange family. "Very well," she had said finally. Anything to get the princess to sit still and do it, she decided. The other girl was also working on something for the young knight, finishing work on the hem of a tunic for court.

"I could try magic, if Papa said okay, but Mama says Bae appreciates it more by hand. He's better about magic than he used to be, but Mama says its more personal this way. Besides, all magic has a price.  Papa says Bae likes it when we mother him, on account of not having any proper mothering before," the girl had said, completely innocently.

"So Lady Belle is not his mother?" Allison asked. She had always wondered, because of the young man's age, but there were rumours about a portal. No one said too much though. Prying into the Dark One's family life was not considered a wise thing to do. She had just assumed that the imp had got himself a child bride. Who knew what was appropriate to something like him? There was also a rumour that he got her in fulfilment of a deal.

"No, only Mama, she told Bae he could call her mama because she thinks of him as a son. They don't talk about Bae's real mama. Only she died a long time ago, I think before Papa was the Dark One."

Allison had just nodded. It was interesting information. It also explained why the young man looked completely human, apparently he was. But then, the girls went on to discuss Rose's new horse and the possibility of a picnic. The governess had known better than to ask more questions, and instead had sunk into her own thoughts.

After their embroidery had been put away, the girl had said she needed to dress for tea, and the governess decided that Emma probably should as well. She wasn't entirely sure what was right around visiting royalty from another kingdom who might or might not be human.

When they had returned to the nursery, everything had been arranged for having visitors, and the girl was looking at the group of seats critically, as if unsure she liked what she saw.

Moments after Allison had arrived with Emma, there was a knock on the door. That was the point where the day went wrong.

 

Rumplestitskin and Belle came in proceeding...well, she hadn't been entirely sure what exactly he was, if he was human or not, in fact, she still wasn't. The man was tall, especially next to the Dark One, thin, and had spikey white/blond hair. There was also something odd about his eyes. He'd been wearing a long blue coat, high leather boots, a shirt with an odd open ruffled collar, and, well, the less said about his trousers the better. She had almost put a hand over Emma's eyes, she was _that_ embarrassed.

"Lady Rose," the man had said, as he came and greeted her with a bow more appropriate to an court occasion, and someone considerably older.

"King Jareth," Rose replied with a smile and a curtesy. "This is my friend, Princess Emma." Emma had curtseyed properly without prompting, that was one thing, and he'd bowed as well. "And Allison, her governess." His greeting had been more reserved but that, at least was appropriate, as he took her hand and gave a half bow. She noticed then that it was that his eyes were different colours.

"Your father tells me you have been poorly, so I brought you this." he'd reached out and pulled a bubble from the air, that turned into a crystal ball. He'd handed the ball to her, where it turned into a large book. "Stories from my land, to keep you entertained. Now, we will leave you to your fun. They are anxious to see you," he'd said as a group of...actually she wasn't sure what to make of them, but they were definitely _not_ human. "Now, you will behave, and listen to Lady Rose," he'd told them sharply.

"Of course, your majesty," the one in the front, slightly taller than the rest, had said, bowing low. They were...well, motley was the best description. Dark of skin, with spikey hair, where they had any, large noses, and strange eyes.  They were wearing matching shirts, trousers, and vests in shades of brown and green, and they all bowed to the girls at once.

"We will leave you then," Rumplestiltskin had said, kissing his daughter on the forehead. "We only came because Jareth wished to pay his respects." The imp had snapped his fingers, and the tea tray appeared on the table as they left.

"Allison, when Grace arrives, you can feel free to join us in the Great Hall or have some time for yourself. She can watch the girls for a while," Belle had told her, before she left, closing the door behind and leaving Allison trapped with the two girls and the creatures. The moment the girl had appeared, she'd fled, praying that Killian was waiting.

 

She had just barely cleared the tree line when she saw him sitting on 'their rock'. He rose with a smile, but it froze when he saw her expression, and he moved immediately to her side, reaching out to pull her into his arms. "What's happened, love?" he asked, the picture of gentlemanly concern, as he guided her down to sit on the rock beside him, his arm around her.

After a moment it all came spilling out willy nilly. By the time she'd finished retelling it, she was quite worn out. "Here, have a sip of this," Killian said, pulling a flask out from somewhere.

"I shouldn't," she said.

"Just a sip, for medicinal purposes. A drop of rum never did any harm." She took a sip as he held it to her lips. The liquid was strong and burned as it went down.

"I'm not used to strong spirits," Allison said. It was warm from being close to his body, and she blushed a little. "You wouldn't..."

"Of course not, my dear. As I said, just for the nerves. You'll be fine in a moment or two. Now," he said, allowing her to lay her head on his warm shoulder. "You said that the little...girl, that she's better? So you will be able to get away more easily."

"Oh yes. She's supposed to have a quiet day today, though how it can be quiet with those creatures..." She shuddered, remembering.

_"We all wanted to come," one of them had told them. "Only Jareth, he said that just the five that finished all their chores first, and had baths, could come."_

_"Never seen goblins lining up for a bath without it being bath day before," another one, the one with the extremely crooked nose, added, as they had sat themselves down around the tea table._

 "Who can tell, as you say. She's not human, so there is no telling," Killian said sympathetically.

 

"Thank you for having me," Jareth said. "My goblins are better than they were, and having a visit with your Rose as an incentive for good behaviour has done wonders. They've not accidentally poisoned me recently for a start, and the castle is actually clean, but they cannot make a proper cup of tea and they are hardly stunning conversational companions."

"Of course, you are welcome anytime, your Highness," Belle said.

"My lady, have I offended you in some way? Such formality is surely unnecessary between friends," he replied, a little surprised.

"Pardon, I think it is having the royal governess here. The woman is a stickler for form, and I've had to sit through more than a few lessons. She must be rubbing off on me," Belle explained.

"I'll add to my lady's invitation, as well," Rumplestiltskin said agreeably, ignoring the comment about the royal governess.  The woman irritated him and he actually wanted to enjoy his tea.  The sorcerer quite liked the visits by the Goblin King. "There are few enough people one can have a good conversation about magical theory with, or at least few enough..."

"That aren't interested in killing you?" Jareth suggested sympathetically.

"Yes, I'm afraid that the truly arcanely educated are few, and of those... well, Jafar is still in Wonderland I believe, and not to be trusted on any day," the sorcerer agreed.

"I have a few cousins in the fairie realms that are much the same, but I would trust Jafar first, and yes, I've had the misfortune to meet him," the Goblin King commented. "As to the governess, admittedly I have limited experience of her kind, but is she quite all right? She seems..." he paused, trying to find the right words without causing offence in one of the few places he was welcome.

"That is one of the reasons for her presence," Belle explained refilling Jareth's tea cup.  "The queen is concerned that Allison might be harbouring some prejudices that she has no desire to have taught to her daughter, especially in light of some of their allies."

The Goblin King nodded, as he picked up the cup. "This is most certainly the right place to cure her of that, either that, or send her screaming."

 

"They are hoping to go on a picnic tomorrow," Allison said. "Provided they can get Sir Bae to agree to go with them, so I should be..."

" _Sir Bae_?" Killian said sharply, looking at her very intensely. "Who is this?"

Allison was startled by his reaction and started to pull away, but he held her tight. "Sir Baelfire, he's...well, he's the Dark One's son. According to the child, he was born before her father was the Dark Once, but...I didn't realised...."

"Aye, the crocodile was human once, a long time ago," the man beside her agreed, gazing at the lake with a faraway look in his eye. "So he's managed to get Bae away from Neverland, then."

"What? How do _you_ know all this?" Allison said. She felt just a little chill and tried again to pull away.

"Ah, forgive me, my dear, I didn't mean to frighten you. There is nothing to worry about. However, it is time, I suppose, to tell you the sad tale of my previous...encounter with Rumplestiltskin, and how he killed my first love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, thank you to all of you who are still reading this, and i hope you enjoy this little installment. If you like what I'm doing..please to leave a comment in the little box.


	8. Storytime

 

 

Allison returned just in time to see the other realm visitors leaving. Outside the wall of the Dark Castle, Lady Belle, Rumplestiltskin, and Sir Bae, who had caused her friend so much consternation, were saying their farewells to the well, whatever they were. She had no idea how to categorise 'goblins', they were not human, but they were not fairies, at least not the ones she was familiar with, nor any of the other type of magical creatures she'd encountered. On the other hand, their king was more or less human in appearance, clearly not one of them.

"You know you are more than welcome to stay to dinner," Belle told the Goblin King (surely he wasn't a goblin, but maybe they came in different kinds).

"As much as I would dearly wish to stay and enjoy your excellent cooking, I need to return to my own realm. While my goblins have gotten better than they were, it's still best they not be left to their own devices for too long," Jareth explained.

"Perhaps next time," Rumplestiltskin said. "I really would like to introduce you to Jefferson. The man has a positive talent with mushrooms."

"Next time, then." He gave a bow, as did his creatures, who had said nothing. He nodded approvingly, and with a graceful gesture, a crystal ball appeared, encompassed the goblins and floated off. A moment later, the Goblin King disappeared, leaving a snowy owl that called once before circling and flying off, as Allison gasped.

"He does know how to make an exit," the imp said admiringly. "Now love, I'll be back in time for dinner. Graham needs me to check on something. He's staying close to home, though Red and the Widow Lucas will probably be arriving soon to help." He kissed his wife before leaving, fortunately for Allison's nerves, on foot.

"Did you enjoy your walk?" Belle asked her.

"I did, my lady. I find the lake very soothing," the woman said.

"Be sure to be careful," Bae said. "Graham has seen signs of strangers in the woods, he suspects poachers, recently, though they usually avoid the forest on my father's land. He allows the villagers to hunt his woods as long as they check in with the huntsman, but the area immediately around the lake is forbidden. It is used by many as a quiet spot, or a place for picnics, and we don't want accidents. You have not seen anyone, have you?"

"No...no," Allison said slowly, wondering how to answer. Killian was no poacher, she was sure of that, and the young man had just said it was an acceptable place to be. Still she felt like she should say something. "Not at the lake, but I thought I saw someone walking away, towards the village."

"Probably just a villager then, someone coming for the peace, or to fish. Still, be careful. If you see something, tell us. The lake is outside even the extended wards. Meanwhile we are going to be looking for them. I'd not worry, my lady," the young man said politely.

Inside, Allison felt a chill. Killian coming to see her might be swept up, but she had no way of warning him, unless she did it tomorrow when she saw him. Still, he was smart enough to avoid both the poachers and those looking for them, and he was smart enough to avoid Rumplestiltskin. "Will this mean that the girls will not be able to have their picnic?" she asked.

"Oh, no, they will be well protected. I will be going, as will Thomas and Dove. Besides, poachers are unlikely to come near a picnic party, they are more interested in avoiding being seen," he reassured her.

"Yes, and your father says the weather will be good for it. If Red and Granny have arrived by then, Graham might join you, whether he likes it or not," Belle said. "They have some very firm ideas about where the father should be when the birth begins, starting with not under foot. Now, Allison, would you like to join us for dinner? Emma will want to eat with Rose and Grace has decided to stay with them."

"I...It would be improper. Besides, I should check on the princess."

"Certainly, but they will be fine. Sometimes it is good to have adult conversation," the lady said.

"Mama, I could eat with the girls if it would help," Bae offered. "I like spending time with my sister, I don't get enough of that anymore. Between Grace and I, we should be fine."

"There, all settled then. Come, let's get inside. You know how your father is." They moved towards the castle, the young man falling into step behind them.

"My lady, if I may ask, why were you all out here?" Allison asked.

"The wards," Lady Belle replied. "It would be rude for another sorcerer to try and work magic inside, even someone who is welcome. Not that they could without permission."

"But the gift..."

"Oh, that's a different thing and he had spoken with Rumple. You have seen how he travels. It's not easy to carry things."

"And Rose loves his crystals," Bae added, as they stepped back through the outside gate. Allison nodded, filing it all away.

 

Dinner had been relatively, well, she could not call anything in this castle normal, but it wasn't _too_ far out of the ordinary. Jefferson, father of the girl, Grace, had turned up, having finished whatever business he'd been on, and had been invited to stay the night. "Grace is, of course, old enough to stay by herself, but where we live is quite remote, and after Regina, well...When I'm unsure of how long I will be gone, I don't like her to be alone. Different realms, you understand," he told her at dinner.

She didn't understand, but she just nodded, afraid that he would explain it. Afterward, they sat in front of the fire for a bit until Allison felt she had been appropriately polite, before excusing herself, citing Rose's need for rest, and Emma's, with the excitement of the day, and the picnic tomorrow.

"Picnic?" Jefferson asked as she was leaving. The governess wondered if the strange man would be joining them as well, and grimaced at the thought, though at least she was sure he was human, despite the magic.

Allison arrived at the nursery and heard them in the next room, but before she could step in, she heard Rose's voice.

"Tell us a story, Bae," she asked. "Please. I'm too tired to read." The last was the closest the governess had ever heard to a whine from the girl.

"You'll be fine tomorrow, Rosie you know that. But okay, if you promise to sleep afterward. What do you want to hear?" the young knight asked. He did seem to genuinely love his half sister, despite, well, his father was the Dark One, so, it was probably easier.

"The one about Papa, and how he stopped the Ogre War," the girl asked.

"Oh, yes, tell that one," Emma added. "I love that story. Plus it's the best, 'cause it's true.'

Allison heard the young man laugh. "You always want that one, but yes, it's true, I was there. All right, you two get comfortable. Emma, why don't you crawl in with Rosie, you'll be more comfortable. I can carry you up if you fall asleep. Grace, are you going to stay?"

"Of course, I love that story too," the girl said. Allison could hear what sounded like chairs being moved around. She wasn't sure about the princess sharing the big bed with the other girl. What if she really was contagious somehow? But she was interested in the story. The Ogre Wars were a very long time ago, she was only familiar with them from history. It was a chance to learn something and also find out more about the strange sorcerer and his family.

"So, a long time ago..." Bae began.

"How long?" Emma interrupted.

"Now princess, you know I'm not good with time here, too long in Neverland where time doesn't pass. So, as I was saying, a long time ago, the people in the Frontlands, which was south of here, it doesn't exist anymore though, they were being threatened by Ogres. It wasn't the first time, they had been fighting on and off for centuries, but this time it had been raging for a pretty long time. All the adults who were capable of fighting had already been drafted, at least from the peasants. Most of them were killed or came home maimed, some were never quite right again. But the Duke still ordered more troops. Now, you have to understand, the Duke was a cruel and careless ruler, who taxed his people heavily when he wasn't sending them off to die. But he had an advantage..."

"He controlled the Dark One," Rose piped up. Clearly she knew the story well.

"Yes, Rosie, and I don't mean Papa. But he controlled the Dark One and used him to enforce his will on his people. Now, at this time there lived a poor, lame spinner in a small village alone with his only son."

"Rumplestiltskin," Emma added. Clearly she knew the story too. "And you."

"Exactly. It was just the two of us, but we got on. Then one day the Duke's men came into the village. They said that the conscription age had been lowered again. In fact, they took my best friend, Morraine. She lived next to us, and her father was a black smith. He'd been injured in the war earlier, before she was born, and come home mostly intact." He paused for a moment, and Allison crept further towards the door.

"Were you two courting?" Emma asked.

"Us? _No_. Honestly, I hadn't really got to the point of thinking about girls then, and anyway we were all too afraid about the war to think about more, although before they changed the rules, a lot of people had got married in a hurry because you couldn't be drafted.  That was before they lowered the age again. But the Duke put a stop to _that_. Anyway, Papa was terrified. He'd seen the ogres, having already been to the wars earlier, and he was afraid for me, especially because my birthday was coming. So he decided to run, just take what we needed. I wasn't too happy about it. I thought it was because he thought I wasn't good enough, and that people would think we were both cowards."

"No one would ever think you were a coward," Emma exclaimed.

"Or papa either," Rose added, incensed.

 _Ah, so not only born a peasant but a coward_ , Allison thought. She'd known there was something wrong with him. It was good to be confirmed in her opinion that they were not fit companions.

"Well, it was different back then. Yes, some people thought if you didn't fight, you were a coward, but those people had never seen an ogre. They are huge, twice the size of a man, half again as broad, and they use these big clubs. Morraine's father would tell us stories, but Papa never would. Besides, we weren't soldiers, they weren't either, just peasants who never had to fight anything more dangerous that a bear or a wolf that got at the livestock, but at least Papa and Morraine's father were adults. We ran, but we were caught. They...well, they treated Papa shamefully. He was lame, and they...well, they were bullies, especially their leader," he told them.

"My father would _never_ allow anyone to be like that," Emma said.

"You are right, princess, if anyone acted like that, the King would have them thrown out, no matter who they were. But then your father would never do a lot of things the Duke did, starting with drafting children.  He won't even let anyone sign up until they are at least sixteen and then only with their parent's permission. Most of the people I knew never saw sixteen, the ones that went away before. But that's beside the point," Bae told them, trying to get back to the story. "Still, we had come upon a poor beggar by the road, and despite the fact that we had very little, papa invited him back with us, and shared what we had. He always said we should do what we could, even if it was very little."

"But the beggar wasn't a beggar," Rose put in.

"Now Rosie, don't get ahead of the story. Yeah, he's much more cautious about beggars since, but he never turns them away, still. But anyway, the beggar was the one that told him about the talisman, the dagger that allowed the Duke to control the Dark One. He told Papa that if he got it, he could control the Dark One, and I would be safe. But it was all a trick. The beggar was really the Dark One in disguise. He was tired of being controlled by the Duke, and thought that he could gain his freedom." Allison heard the young man shift in the chair. It was a lot for her to take in. but she didn't want to interrupt at this point.

"He...well, he tricked Papa into killing him with the dagger and taking his place." Bae paused.

"And that's how Papa became the Dark One," Rose said.

"It is. That was the longest night. I didn't sleep well. I was so afraid because the next morning was my birthday, I knew the soldiers were coming for me, and Papa wasn't home. I was afraid he'd been killed. They did come for me too, first thing. But before they could take me, Papa showed up. They didn't understand at first, neither did I...he looked, mostly the same, not like he looks now, but maybe halfway between. Because the Duke controlled the Dark One, when they figured it out, they didn't know what to do about him. But he managed to deal with them. I'm not sure if it was then that he realised that the Duke could have gotten rid of the Ogres any time, by simply ordering the Dark One to take care of it. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't," Bae told them. His voice was a little quieter. "I didn't even know how to...well, I was a little afraid myself, because my papa wasn't my papa anymore, or not the way he had been. But, having saved me, he left, simply vanished. That was a shock too."

"Because he'd never had magic before," Emma said. "But why did the Duke not just have the Dark One deal with the Ogres? That's bad ruling."  The girl definitely had firm ideas about how a good ruler behaved, and Allison knew she could at least be proud of that.

"You ask me the same thing every time," Bae said fondly. "And I still don't have the answer. Probably he just didn't care. Still, two days later, Papa returned, leading all the children home. My friend Morraine, she said that Papa had turned up and told the all to leave, that he just stepped into the middle and ordered them all to gather everyone who was injured, and to run. Then he took the field alone. She said they all ran as fast as they could. Some of the older kids were helping the ones who couldn't walk so good, and one boy, he grabbed a supply wagon and loaded up everyone who couldn't walk, or were in shock. There were the Duke's soldiers, but they were afraid of the Dark One too, and besides, they didn't know he wasn't following the Duke's orders anymore. But when Papa caught back up with Morraine and the rest, he told them that the war was over for good."

"And the ogres were beaten," Emma cheered.

"Well, they certainly were for a while. They stayed away for a good long time after that. They have still attacked occasionally over the years, places out on the fringes. But mostly they have learned."

"Yes, they aren't very bright, but they know if Rumplestiltskin shows up, they had best be moving along," Grace contributed for the first time.

"That's how Papa met Mama," Rose piped up.

"It is, but that's another story, and you asked for one. Besides, Mama tells that one better. Now, you should get to sleep. Tomorrow is a big day."

Allison crept out as she heard the chair creak and knew that he was standing up. She didn't want to get caught eavesdropping. Besides, she had a lot to think about. She didn't know what to think about what the young knight had said. Surely it couldn't be, the Dark One, a hero?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is still enjoying. This story is taking a lot of strange twists. Please leave the comments in the little box. Tell me what you think.


	9. A little holiday

 

 

Allison was shocked (and not a little dismayed) when she rose in the morning, by the extent of the preparations for the picnic. What she had imagined as a simple outing, a bit of lunch, and some fresh air, had turned into a full expedition.

"We can all use a bit of a holiday," Belle had said. "Rumple has been busy with a little project for King Midas, not to mention Rose, and the concern about strangers in the forest. Besides, he feels like he doesn't get enough family time with Bae in the capital."

"In that case, my lady, perhaps the princess and..."

"Oh, nonsense, Rosie would be heartbroken. And Rumple is going to teach them a lesson about magical herbs. Of course, it won't make up to Emma for not getting proper magic lessons, but those won't come until she manifests, which will probably be another couple of years," the lady of the castle explained as she supervised the packing of blankets in a hamper, as though she was discussing the latest fashion in gowns.

"I don't understand.  Your daughter..."

"That's different. She had it almost from the beginning. We aren't sure why, though Rumple knew she had the capacity. Even before she was born he could tell that. It proved quite interesting when she was a babe," Belle told her with a fond smile. "But as I was saying, you need not come if you don't want to, though you are welcome, of course. There will be plenty of people, so you needn't feel concerned for Emma's safety."

"No, no, I will be glad to come," Allison said, not wanting to be seen as not doing her duty.

 

Now, as they set out, she was wondering. In addition to the sorcerer, his wife and both his children, the eccentric Jefferson and his daughter, Grace, there was the fairy, Nova, who had come with her dwarf husband (who at least had _not_ been invited, though that was probably only because they were working on something for the sorcerer) and the retainers. There was Dove, who was properly deferential, and the boy, Thomas, that she found out had been taken into the sorcerer's household after the incident last year involving that cat that had so disrupted things. So it was in the middle of this rather bizarre group that Allison found herself walking towards the forest on the far side of the lake.

"Where are we going?" the royal governess asked as she walked next to the Lady Belle and the fairy.

"There is a lovely spot up the hill on the other side of the lake. It has a wonderful view," Belle told her. "Of course, in warmer weather, there is swimming, but it's just a little too cold yet, and besides, Rose shouldn't get too much sun right at the moment." She smiled at where Rose, Emma, Grace, and the boy Thomas, were walking together.

"Are you quite sure that the boy...I mean he is..." she started, unsure of the level of familiarity from a servant.

"He's fine, he's really a good lad. He just needed to get away from bad companions, not to mention, well, his father was hardly caring for him, hadn't in years." Belle lowered her voice. "The guardsmen said the man was in a cell more than out, and he was living on what he could scrounge or picking up a bit of work for one of the tavern keepers. The man's wife said they paid him in food because his father drank away any penny he could find, or beat out of the lad."

"Poor boy," the fairy said, before tripping over a root and almost landing in the path.

"Do be careful, Nova, you know how Dreamy worries," Belle chided gently. "But he is doing well. He's going to school in the village. He stays down there during school, living with Mistress Lara and lending a hand. She is not getting any younger, and she absolutely refuses help, but taking in a lad during the week so he can go to school..."

"And if, because he's around, he chops some wood, or carries in the water, or carries out the laundry..." Jefferson commented with a shrug, having dropped back from where he'd been talking to the sorcerer.

"Exactly," Belle agreed.

"Rumple says he expects Graham will be joining up with us in the clearing, possibly coming back to the castle tonight. I didn't realise Willow was that close."

Allison was quiet, listening as the conversation went on around her. This was the strangest noble household she had ever experienced, no surprise there, considering who was in charge, but at the same time, she never would have expected the imp to take in that boy, or the, admittedly elegant, solution to an elderly woman in their village who would not accept help. Charity and seeing to the well being of their people was, of course, a duty and one that should be taken seriously, but she was not accustomed to it being handled so directly. Granted, the village was small enough that Lady Belle could do it personally, and the rest of the sorcerer's lands were mostly forest and mountain, along with small farmsteads, and a few...well, they wouldn't even count as villages. Still.

Queen Snow did much the same, though generally she directed those who did, the ones who knew where and who had the need. But the kingdom was much larger, and she looked to the nobles to take care of their own people, as she had other important duties (though Allison thought Snow White a little too involved in things best left to the king, but one couldn't expect better of the half wild young woman who'd been partially raised by the former evil queen). Her own former charge, Princess Alexandra's mother, Cinderella didn't actually involve herself at all, leaving it to the appropriate staff.

Still, Allison was having trouble accustoming herself to this, to people acting in ways that..well, they shouldn't or rather, she'd not expected them to, especially with them not being...completely human (or human at all).

Then there was the story the young knight had told. Could the sorcerer really have done it? Have ended the Ogre War? Of course she had known that he had been involved in the defeat of Regina, but she had always thought that the King and Queen had hired him, or something, made one of his deals. She realised that she had a lot to think about. It wasn't helping that she was having a hard time fitting it into the picture Killian had painted for her, a picture of a bloodthirsty monster. It was enough to make her head spin. Before she could get any more lost in her thoughts though, they stepped out into a clearing.

"Ahh, here we are," Belle said with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's been a bit, but there is a lot going on, and I got distracted by another story. (It happens, sadly, muses are a bit fickle). Please let me know what you think.


	10. A new view

 

 

Allison was shocked when she stepped into the clearing. On one side, there was an opening in the trees which did give a beautiful view of the lake with the Dark Castle looking enchanting in the background, if you didn't know who lived there. The hampers that Belle had packed were already there, the advantage to a powerful sorcerer husband, not having to carry everything with you, but there was more. A pavilion was set up on one edge near the tree line, and there were several stacks of cushions, Belle's and her own work baskets, and the girl's books and drawing supplies were sitting on a low table.

Immediately Belle began directing Dove to help set up things. "Mama, do I really have to stay under the pavilion?" her daughter asked.

"Only if the sun gets too hot. It's just a precaution. Rumple?" she questioned, turning around.

"Yes dear? I'm just taking Bae for a quick look around. I doubt that anyone would take on a group of this size, especially with me here, but better safe..." he said, waving his son to join him.

"I'll lend a hand for the heavy lifting," Jefferson told her. "Two even."

"All right, Jefferson, here, help Dove move the hampers so I can get the blankets down. Nova, no, you had better stick to the cushions. Rose, you and Emma can go over to the meadow to gather herbs for your lesson, take Thomas with you. Grace..."

"I'll go with them. Do you think I could sit in on the lesson?" she asked.

"Of course. Besides, maybe you will find some mushrooms and fungus. You could bring them and maybe your father can lend his expertise."

"Always happy to lend my skills to an educational endeavour," the man himself said, as he helped the quiet servant move things to where Belle directed.

Allison wasn't certain what her duty was, but after a moment she followed the children, as Lady Belle seemed to have things well in hand. The meadow she referred to was a field that appeared to be beyond the tree line that the pavilion was set against, a sheltered area that took up a roughly triangular area above which the mountain began to rise steeply on the one side, while the other side turned to forest again. There was a creek that trickled along part of the base of the rock before it joined a stream that disappeared into the forest. There was also a path on that side that plunged back into the forest and looked like it continued down the other side.

"If you take that path, you will get to Graham and Willow's house. But it's really the long way," Rose pointed out. Then the two girls started to look around.

"Don't forget, if it's a mushroom..." Grace called, following along.

"Tell you first," the Dark One's daughter replied as if she did this regularly (which she might very well). "Because some are poisonous even with limited contact." It was recited by rote.

"I enjoy this part, Uncle Rumple is really a good teacher. I mean my papa's good for some things, but he doesn't have as wide a range of knowledge," Grace told Allison. Of all the group of oddments, she seemed to the royal governess the closest to...well, normal. But she also considered the sorcerer and his wife sort of honorary family, which was odd.

Still, Allison was having a hard time with the whole situation. It wasn't just that they weren't quite human, some of them (and some not at all), but they seemed to have genuine affection for one another. They lacked the distance that the woman was accustomed to from a royal or even a noble family. It wasn't the way she expected things to work, and she wasn't sure she wanted to think about it too closely. Her own mother had always impressed upon her the important of position, class, and of proper standards of behaviour. But Princess Emma seemed to be fine. She was practically wild, but that had nothing to do with her relationship with her parents, and people loved her. Whereas, as much as she truly hated to admit it, despite her only partially human parents and her odd appearance, the Dark One's daughter was studious, quiet and respectful, everything that a well born young lady should be, for the most part. There was the fact that she had magic, though apparently that was not as straightforward as Allison had always believed or been told. But beyond that and her tendency, like the princess, to tear around the countryside on her new horse at an unseemly speed, refusing to ride side saddle and wearing _britches_ , she was a polite and good natured child. It was too much to take in.

They had gathered what Grace considered 'a good selection' and were heading back through the trees, when Allison saw something that stopped her heart. There seemed to be someone standing on the far end of the meadow watching them. After a moment, the figure moved, though all she could see was the head, with hair that was almost black. Was Killian watching them? Why? _Perhaps he's hoping that you can break away for a little bit_ , she thought, but it still made her feel a little strange. _Or perhaps he's just curious, after all, he didn't even know about the child until you told him_. Rather than worry, she followed the girls and Thomas, who was carrying for them.

 

Back in the clearing, Allison was surprised at what had taken shape. The blankets were laid out, cushions for sitting on, (Belle and Nova), or leaning against (Jefferson) on them, and the table had tea things and food laid out in the shade of the pavilion. "I have just never liked setting food on the ground. Besides, it's easier to keep from knocking things over that way," Lady Belle said when she asked.

"By which she means me," the former fairy said, smiling.

"Nova, I..."

"Oh come now Belle, it's true. Everyone knows it, even me, especially me. I was the clumsiest fairy in the sisterhood. But I have made peace with it. True Love makes all the difference in the world."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am glad you are all enjoying this. Honestly it was going to be longer but I got sucked into a doco. Please do what you are supposed to do...you know where the little box is.


	11. Found and Lost

 

Allison made her way back to the meadow. It seemed as good a place as any. She would have preferred to go down to the lake, but it was a bit of a walk, and besides, she was hoping to confirm her suspicious that Killian was hanging about without getting him caught. Perhaps they could have a few moments alone. She needed to be around someone...well, normal. She was trying to ignore that mounting suspicion that things were not fitting as neatly in their boxes as she would like.

Besides, part of her very much enjoyed the sea captain's attentions, but another part of her was fighting a growing uncertainty, his history with the Dark One made his presence just a little strange. Allison was trying very hard to convince herself that they were starting...well something, but really, a sailor (even a captain), and a royal governess. It was unheard of. She wasn't even entirely sure if it was appropriate.

"Looking for me, me darling lady?" the familiar voice startled her from her uncomfortable thought. There he stood, a smile on his handsome face. She hurried towards him and allowed him to guider her into the shade near the small stream and far away from the picnic party.

"Killian, what are you _doing_ here?" she asked. "You could get caught.  What if they _see_ you?" She was a little disturbed, and not only by his presence, though he did rather make her heart speed up.

"Are you concerned for my safety then? I can only feel honoured that you have enough esteem to be concerned with my poor hide. But fear not, my beauty. I merely wished to reassure myself of your safety. There are desperate men in the forest, and I would not trust that lot to keep you safe," he told her as he slipped an arm around her. "Besides, I will admit to a bit of curiously. I wanted to see the creature born of the Dark One's unholy union. She is...unusual looking, though certainly not as monstrous as I was expecting, but you said his wife was a beauty.  How that I happened, I would like to know. I also, well, I admit, I wanted to see Bae, to see how he is faring. He has grown into a fine young man, and a knight as well. He looks like his mother, there is certainly nothing of his father in him."

Allison nodded. Of course it made sense. She could understand his desire to see the young man who he had apparently at one time, considered almost his own son. Part of her wanted to tell young Sir Baelfire, perhaps find a way to facilitate communications between them, allow them to reconnect. After all, surely it would be a good deed? But as of yet, she hadn't, had not even broached the subject. "If you are _certain_ it is safe," she said cautiously.

"I can take care of myself. Now, tell me about the rest. The younger of the two blond girls, that is the princess of course.  Clearly, she's close to the age of the crocodile's daughter. The others? You did say that they were quite a collection."

"The other one is the daughter of the realm hopper, Jefferson. I don't quite know the connection, only that apparently he has business with Rumplestiltskin, and the child calls him 'uncle'. He's also godfather to the sorcerer's daughter. She even has a fairy godmother, if you can believe that. Not the one that's with us though," Allison said, warming to the subject.

"A fairy godmother you say? Now there is a story in that. But perhaps you can tell me that one later. Now, the lad with the dark hair? How did he come to be a part of this menagerie?"

 

Allison sat with Killian as long as she thought she could, reassured by his words and his gentle attentions. So it was with a lighter heart that she returned to the party. The girls and young Thomas had finished their lessons and were entertaining the now awake toddler while Rumplestiltskin had joined his wife, son, Jefferson, and the other adults (at least she assumed the fairy was an adult for her kind). The sorcerer was living up to his reputation and spinning, though at the moment it seemed only to be wool, while the realm hopper entertained them with an apparently highly amusing story from his travels.

"So there I was, stuck in Wonderland, without my hat, or my body for that matter.  The Queen is...well, she's the formerly Evil former Queen's mother, which says something right there. Then Rumplestiltskin shows up...."

"Oh, enough Jefferson, we've all heard this one," the sorcerer said, looking up from his work. "Find another story before you get dull. You won't get invited to any more parties that way. Of course, if it's another party at that one castle..."

"Did you enjoy your walk?" Belle asked, as she noticed Allison, and invited her to take a cushion.

"Yes, my lady. It was very soothing. It is very beautiful here," the royal governess assured her, settling on the indicated place, between the former fairy (was one ever a former fairy, really, or simply no longer doing...well, whatever it was that fairies did) and the young knight, to listen to the two men bickering amicably.

 

The afternoon was advanced and everyone was getting a bit tired, when the picnic party started to pack things away. The gamekeeper had asked them to watch the child while he returned home to check on the status of his wife. "She is in the best hands possible, Huntsman," the sorcerer had said. "Don't tell her I said that, _ever_. But it's better to leave them to get on with it. They will take care of Willow, and they'll send a message. On the other hand, you'll be lucky if the Widow Lucas doesn't put a crossbow bolt somewhere unpleasant. She doesn't take being startled well."  He gave a theatrical shudder.

"That's only you, love. Besides, it was only the once, and it was an accident," his wife said. The sorcerer looked at her, but he didn't seem particularly upset by what she said, actually, he smiled a little.

"You would be no better," his wife reminded him as they began to pack everything away so it could all be sent back to the castle.

"You can't know that," Rumplestiltskin said, slipping an arm around her waist, much to Allison's disgust. "But I am more than willing to attempt the experiment."

Belle took a playful swat at him. "Girls, take Laurel and play with her so we can get these things put away. JYou know she's sensitive to the magics. Just make sure you take her far enough away for now.  Yes, Thomas, bring that hamper. No, I'll take care of that. Allison, could you help with the blankets," she directed everyone like a general.

 

When everything had been packed away and Rumplestiltskin had sent it all back to the castle, Allison went to gather the children. "Princess?" she called as she went around the edge of the clearing and then moved towards the meadow, wondering if they moved to where there was more space. "It's time to go," she said as she saw Grace with the toddler.

"They are hiding, and Laurel and I are trying to find them, right?" the girl said with a smile as she scooped up the little girl easily. "All right, it's time to go. Sorry, game's over."

"I'm coming." They heard Emma's voice coming from the trees near the other path. "Rose."

"Rose, come on," Grace called again. "We have to go. You don't want your parents to get mad."

"Maybe she went back to the clearing? Could she go through the trees somehow?"

"No, she wouldn't do that. I mean, you can, but there are a lot of brambles, so the path is just easier. I just hope she didn't have an accident with her magic. It can happen. But I don't think she could move herself. I mean, she did move herself once, but she was in danger, so..." Grace looked around, worried, as did Emma.

In her heart, Allison prayed for magic, or distraction, anything but the possibility that something had happened to her. Anything to assuage the cold, creeping dread that was even now filling her stomach, the feeling that whatever happened to the girl involved her beau.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is a little more story to keep you going. Sorry...not sorry. Please leave a comment in the little box. (And no throwing rotten fruit).


	12. As the world falls down.

 

"Rose has to be around here somewhere," Grace said. "She isn't one to go running off."

Allison started to say something about what had happened in the capital, but she had a sneaking suspicion that had been on the princess, as much as she would like to deny it. "Perhaps she fell?" the royal governess suggested, hoping (praying) it was something that simple. "Best go get her parents." It was not her favourite idea, but she was short of good ones. Besides, as much as she hated the idea, the sorcerer could probably find his offspring with some kind of magic.

"I'll go," Emma volunteered.

"No, Grace should go. The...er...the little one..."

"She's fine," the Hatter's daughter told her. "Actually, maybe she can help. Emma, go get Aunt Belle and...well, everyone. Do you know which way Rosie was headed?"

"We split up near that big rock," the princess pointed. "She went that way."

"What are you thinking?" Allison asked, a little peeved at being overridden by a child.

"Well, Laurel is part wolf, though she is far too young to change yet. But even so, her senses are better than ours, and she loves Rose."

"Like a tracking dog?" the woman asked incredulously.

"A little. It's all I can think of. Uncle Rumple is going to be really upset. He worries a lot." Allison noticed the girl had no fear, only concern for how the sorcerer would react. Grace picked up the little girl and carried her to where Emma had indicated. "So Laurel, do you know where Rose is?" she asked the little girl.

"Rosie?" the little girl questioned. She was still at the stage where her vocabulary was limited to various words punctuated by gestures, but not a lot in the way of sentences. Allison had no idea if this was normal for her age (or what was normal for a child that was part wolf), that age was the provence of nannies. She did not deal with them until they were reading age and knew how to attend to their own personal needs.

Laurel looked around and took several deep breaths before pointing off to the left. "Rosie." They began calling again, looking carefully around for signs of the missing child, but before they got far, Allison could hear the rest of the company coming to join them. Rumplestiltskin was moving quickly, a determined look on his face and his wife clinging to his arm.

"Rose?" he asked.

"We were playing hide and seek, just right here. They weren't to leave the area, they know better, Uncle," Grace told him, her face a study in mounting fear and upset.

"It's all right, Grace. It's possible she's had a small accident or got distracted, it's _not_ your fault," he said more kindly than the governess would have thought possible for a clearly upset sorcerer.

"Laurel said this way," the girl offered helpfully.

"Little imp," he said fondly. "It was good thinking, Grace. But I should be able to find her easily enough."

"Magic calls magic," Emma said as she joined them, anxious to contribute something. Hide and seek had been her idea, no doubt. For once, Allison did not chide her for running.

"You have been reading the book on basic principles I gave you," the sorcerer said with vague approval. "Yes, and in this case, as my daughter, it should be simple enough."

"What if she's hurt or..." Belle began, clearly trying to keep form panic.

"It does not matter, love," the sorcerer said. "It would take active interference." With a gesture he caused a small ball of pale purple...something to appear, which he released into the air. It spun and whirled before flying off in the direction the little wolf child had pointed them. "Belle, stay here. I'll just take Bae with me. Thomas, best go get Graham, just in case. Jefferson, you and Dove keep an eye on everyone else." The young man was off immediately.

"What are you thinking, old friend?" the man asked, more serious than the governess had ever seen him.

"I think that it could be nothing, probably is nothing, but if someone is out to cause mischief..." There was a look there, one that reminded Allison of exactly why he was called the Dark One. She had not seen that look before, and suddenly she was more terrified than ever before. Whatever else could be said of the sorcerer, he clearly loved his daughter, and if someone had done something to her, it was _not_ going to be pretty.

"Rumple..." Belle began.

"Belle, if this is something, someone after me, I need to know that you are safe. Besides, there is the princess to consider. Her parents have some of the same enemies that I do. Someone might be after both girls. Keep everyone together," he ordered as he headed off with his son.

"It...it can't be anything, can it?" Allison asked. "Surely she is merely lost. No one would...take her, would they?"

"She must be fine, really," Grace said, looking more concerned by the minute. "I shouldn't have let them..."

"None of that, Grace. It's not your fault. If..." Belle paused, trying not to give voice to her concerns.

"If someone is that foolish, they'll wish they'd never been born," Jefferson muttered softly. Allison felt her fear ramp up. IF Killian had done this...What would happen if she told Rumplestiltskin, admitted to being duped? What would happen to her, or to him? On the other hand, if she was wrong, and the sorcerer, who already had a grudge against him, were to go after him for nothing...What then?

"Should I call Tink?" Nova asked. "Maybe..."

"Not yet, Nova, best wait 'til Rumple gets back. It could be nothing, no point in disturbing anyone else," Belle said, clearly trying to convince herself as much as anyone else. Emma was quiet, unsurprising since one of her closest friends was missing and she didn't know what to do. Actually, they were all like that, or so it appeared, bar Jefferson and Dove, both of whom she was almost certain were there to act as some form of guard, and who were clearly on alert.

"Really, is this necessary? Could it be some kind of accident? Could someone have taken her not knowing who she was?" Allison asked a little desperately.

"No one from the area, and no one doesn't know whose child she is," the Hatter answered.

As they were all thinking about the implications, a swirl of purple smoke announced the return of the sorcerer, alone. "Rumple?" Belle asked. He shook his head.

"Whoever has Rose used something to neutralise her magic, squid ink or the like, and they also have some way of hiding her from me. That's not simple magic. Unfortunately it looks like this was very much deliberate. I need Graham, Bae is waiting where the I lost the trail. This is going to take..."

A large wolf appeared at the head of the trail, announcing itself with a soft *whuff* as Allison jumped. "Red? Is..."

The wolf yipped once. "Thank you," the sorcerer said. "Bae is waiting for Graham and I need to retrieve a few things from my workshop." The big wolf loped off in the direction the imp indicated, just as Graham and Thomas appeared, breathing a little heavily.

"Is Willow..." Belle asked.

"Granny says there is time, and besides she's delivered more than few babies without any help. She just wants Red there to learn. She says this is more important and Willow will have the hide off both of us if we weren't helping."

"My thanks, Huntsman," the sorcerer said formally. "Red has already gone, Bae is on the path on the opposite side of the stream, possibly they are planning to go around the far side of the mountain, though it's rough terrain. Belle, we'd best get everyone back to the Dark Castle. I'll bring the wards up and seal off the castle to outsiders."

"Shall I call Tink?" Nova asked the sorcerer this time. "Fairy magic is different and..."

"And the fairy godmother bond..." Rumplestiltksin considered, appearing a bit impressed. "It's not a bad notion. You can't do it inside the castle."

"Of course not," the fairy agreed. "I will tend it when we get down by the lake. Now..."

" _I_ want to help!" Emma said. "There has to be _something_ , I _can't_ just sit around the castle, she's my _friend_."

"Please, Uncle Rumple?" Grace asked. She, too, appeared to be taking it very personally.

The sorcerer appeared to think for a moment.  "Thomas, I need you again, lad. Go to the village, get Travers to round up anyone whose willing, send them to the castle." The boy nodded and took off, not quite as fast as before, but still at speed. "Princess, you and Grace can help Belle organise search parties, we need to comb the woods. If they are using defences against magic, then we do this the old way. Those who expect magic, don't always remember to take precautions against regular tracking," he said with a look that usually send people scurrying.

"Rumple, is she..." Belle asked, the only crack Allison had seen in the calm facade.

"Now love, she'll be fine. No one would go to this much trouble if they meant to hurt her. Likely it's me they mean to hurt, something they will live to regret, or perhaps not. I just wish I knew who it was, that and what they wish to be put on their tombstone. How did anyone know where we would be and when? Or have they been lurking. Damn it, I was too busy worrying about the poachers, that and trying to track Hook."

"H...Hoook?" Allison asked, stumbling over the word as the dread coalesced in her chest.

"Hook, pirate captain. He and I have a long standing enmity. I found out recently he was back in the Enchanted Forest," the sorcerer said dismissively.

"Sir...Rumplestiltskin..." the royal governess said haltingly as reality crashed in on her. Now it all made sense, everything that had happened, and now her only hope was to tell the truth and pray that the sorcerer didn't kill her, or perhaps that Lady Belle would get her a nice terrarium, she had heard the sorcerer tended to turn people into snails. "I...I think I know something."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know some of you have been waiting for this...please tell me what you think. YOu know what to do.


	13. Revelations

" _What do you know?"_ Rumplestiltskin turning her her, every inch the Dark One of legend. "Well?" He took one step before Belle stepped in front of him.

"Rumple, stop. If you terrify her too much to talk, we will waste more time, time we can ill afford." The sorcerer subsided just a little. "Now, Allison, begin. What is it you think you know?"

Allison started, telling them about meeting the man by the lake, the one who called himself Killian Jones. The more she talked, the more she realised how much she'd been manipulated, played for a fool. She started to cry somewhere along the telling and someone handed her a handkerchief, as the words continued to pour out until she was empty and blubbering. "And I'm so sorry, I just thought...I thought he...I thought it was me. I even felt sorry for him, because he said..." She dissolved into tears.

 

For a moment everyone was silent, in shock. Then Belle stepped towards the woman. Allison looked up, thinking herself safe, just in time for the lady of the Dark Castle to reach out and slap her across the face, hard. "You stupid fool. You allowed your selfishness and bigotry to get in the way of basic sense. He flatttered your ego and you just let him in, and now our daughter is paying for _your_ bad judgement."

"I am so sorry. I...just...I thought..." she trailed off as it looked like the lady was about to do it again. It was a shock then, when the sorcerer came to her rescue.

"Easy, love," he said, putting an arm around his wife. "She was played for a fool, yes. Though in all likelihood, Hook has been lurking, waiting to attack me. For now, we have other things to worry about, like getting Rosie back safely."

"Let me help, please. Let me try to do something, make amends," Allison begged.

"Oh, you _will_ help," Rumplestitlskin said, stepping closer, his voice dropping. "You have this one chance to redeem yourself. I understand Hook, so I know what he is about. But, you need to understand this, if the slightest harm comes to my daughter, you will wish you were never born." He turned, one arm still around his angry wife, and began leading everyone back towards the castle.

Allison ducked her head as young Grace gave her a scathing look and pointedly moved young Laurel away from her, as Jefferson put an arm around her and urged her away, a look of pure disgust clear in every line of his usually friendly handsome face. Even the fairy was looking at her as if she was something that had crawled in from the garden, which, she reflected, she might soon be. But the worst was Princess Emma, who looked at her, spitting fire. "I _hate_ you. You really _are_ the _worst_ Governess ever! I'm _never_ speaking to you _ever_ again." Then the princess ran to catch up with the sorcerer and his wife. Dove waved her to walk in front of him. He didn't need words. What he was thinking was clear on his face, that one step out of line and he would gladly do something unfortunate to her.

She lowered her head and followed. At the moment, Allison wasn't entirely sure living through this was the best outcome. She was going to lose her position, no one would take her on again after this, and her dignity had taken a serious beating. Maybe life as a snail wouldn't be too bad?

 

When they arrived at the Dark Castle, Grace took Laurel and Emma upstairs to change, casting a final dirty look at the governess, as if daring her to say a word. The sorcerer headed straight up to his tower, calling for them to let him know when Nova joined them. Dove absented himself with a word to his master and another dirty look at Allison. Suddenly she knew what it was to be treated as if she was not even worthy of contempt.

"What _were_ you thinking?" Belle rounded on her again, though she seemed calmer.

"I...I was...I _thought_ he was interested in me. He listened to what I had to say," she whispered quietly. "I just..."

"Fell for the first line of flattery you heard?" Jefferson suggested, not exactly unkindly. "Men like Hook are excellent at finding a woman's vulnerability, and your obvious prejudice was an easy way in. I will say, you are not the first woman to fall for something like that, or omeone."  The hatter sighed.

"I'm not..." Allison started, but stopped. They didn't believe her, and right now, she didn't believe herself. Everything she had believed about them, about the way the world was, neatly divided into the good people, the ones who were human and didn't have magic, and the bad, those who weren't, and did, that had all been turned upside down.

The doors of the castle opened suddenly and everyone turned in time to see Nova bustle in with another fairy in a green dress and...

"Regina, what are _you_ doing here?" Belle asked, stepping forward to greet her. A lot had changed in the time since the Evil Queen's defeat, most importantly her discovery of her own True Love right in the Dark Castle, at young Rose's christening. It had taken time, but now she was no longer Regina, Evil deposed Queen and feared sorceress, but Regina, Baroness of Locksley, wife of Robin Hood, and actually well liked by her people. She was holding the hand of a boy slightly younger than Emma and Rose.

"Belle, I'm so sorry. Tink was visiting when she got Nova's message. We couldn't _not_ come. Rumple must be going..."

"Right here Regina, what..." the sorcerer started.

"Later, Rumple, what do you know? Robin and Roland are outside with Dove and some of the men, whoever we could round up in a hurry. What do you need?"

"Someone should get Mulan," Jefferson said, absently. "She should be here.  No one wants to deal with her if she finds out that Rose was kidnapped and she wasn't told."

"She'll take his other hand," Belle commented.

"Not if I get it first," the Dark One swore.

"I can get her," Nova volunteered. "I can do that much. Then maybe I can watch Laurel and Henry? I want to help, but I'm not really much good with magic, never have been."

"Thank you, Nova," Belle said. "It is a help."

"His other... _Hook_?" Regina asked. The little boy tugged at her hand, and she sent him off to the nursery. He was a sensitive lad, and knew that the grown ups were upset about something. "How did _he_ get back?

"We can ask him when we find them," Rumple said. "Assuming I let him live that long. Regina, can you go to my laboratory and start preparing...I'm going to make some tracking amulets for the search parties."

"Blood magic, I assume? We will need both of you, if we don't want the search parties finding Bae.  Certainly. Belle, I'm so sorry," she said, taking her hand for a moment, before heading out of the room.

"Jefferson, can you go tell Robin and his men where to start? They are some of the best woodsmen in the realm," Rumplestiltskin asked. The Hatter nodded and went off. "Tink..."

"I need to go outside. I assume you are going to raise the wards and I can't use fairy magic inside, anyway, not if we don't want more trouble."

The hall continued to empty quickly as people went off to deal with the tasks assigned by the sorcerer. All the while, Allison sat miserably in the chair, watching and wishing that she could do something to make it right.

Nova returned with the warrior woman that Allison had only seen at court once or twice and had never actually been introduced to. She was carrying a sword and went straight to Belle. "I will go see to the children," the fairy said. "Thomas is back.  Travers is rounding up more men, and the girls will be anxious to help."

"I will go with Robin, we have hunted together before, though never something this important. You," the woman growled at Allison. "You best hope that my goddaughter is well, or that Rumplestiltskin gets to you first." Then she too was gone.

There was a tingle in the air, and the smell of ozone, and then the sorcerer returned. "Now, Allison, you say you are sorry, how sorry?" he asked the cowering woman. "What are you willing to do to fix what you helped set in motion?"

" _Anything_. I will do _anything_ ," she said quickly.

"Good. I'm going to hold you to that," he said, then he giggled, a sound that was not the least amused, and tended to make people want to run. Unfortunately, Allison knew there was nowhere to run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, now we know a little more about what has been happening in the rest of the kingdom. Hope you all enjoy. I'm so going to have to edit the who's in this story. Please do that thing that you know keeps me at it....the box is right there..


	14. All in

 

Allison was still sitting in the chair when Rumplestiltskin returned with some...things. The Lady Belle had also gone and come back, still watching the royal governess as if she didn't trust her (which she probably didn't, and the woman knew she deserved it). There had been a crackle and the smell like a lightning storm, which the little fairy had said was the wards coming up as she had rushed through to replace Grace with the two younger children. But right now, no matter how she tried to distract herself, Allison was drawn to what the sorcerer was doing. He said she would help, but now she was getting scared.

"Rumple, what mirror do you want to use?" Regina asked as she entered the room.

"Mirror?" he asked, distractedly, as he organised things on a small side table.

"I sent the genie out to take a look around. Besides, he can keep contact between us and the searchers. Robin and Roland both have specifically spelled mirrors. If we..."

"I understand the concept, dearie, I just didn't realise..." The sorcerer paused. He was surprised and not a little touched. The former genie and the Dark One were unlikely to ever be friends, though they had no real enmity either, and there had been a spot of bother some years ago, but Regina was right, and it was good thinking. The Magic Mirror was still devoted to her, despite her marriage. He had made his peace with his life. In fact, he'd returned to what he did before, his scholarship, acting as Roland's tutor and soon Henry's as well. In the back of his mind, Rumplestiltskin made a note to ask him if he would be willing to lecture Rosie on the nature of genie magic and Agrabahan history, but that was for later, after they got her back. With a distracted *snap* a large mirror appeared in the Great Hall, and the drape fell away.

"Mirror, Mirror," Regina called and a face appeared.

"Your majesty," the face said with a suggestion of a bow. "Dark One, Lady Belle, I am sorry to hear about young Rose."

"Thank you for your help," the sorcerer said. He waved an hand and pulled a small bag out of somewhere. "Jefferson," he called. The man came in from the foyer. "Mirrors for the search parties, see that the girls pass one out to each group. Well, you know what my daughter looks like, here is what you don't know. We think we know the who...Hook."

"Hmmmm," the genie in the mirror thought for a moment. "He's probably vain enough to have a mirror on him, if not, there are no shortage of reflective surfaces. You might want to apologise to a rather portly gentleman from the village if he says something to you, by the way. I missed. Some people _do_ insist on keeping mirrors in the bath." The face shuddered visibly. "Let me see what is to be seen, and what I might do." And then the face was gone, leaving a normal mirror.

"Well, that was helpful, Belle, would you watch for him? Now, Allison, you said you are willing to help," Rumplestiltskin said, turning back to her. He picked up a small stoppered vial from the table and handed it to her.

"What...what am I supposed to do with this?" she asked.

"You are supposed to drink it," the sorcerer said as he moved the small table next to where she sat. On it was a large copper bowl, a pitcher, and a couple other stoppered bottles.

"Is...is it going to hurt?" Allison asked cautiously.

"Does it matter?" he countered. She shook her head and took a deep breath before removing the stopper and pouring the contents into her mouth. "It won't be terribly pleasant, though."

The woman's face went through a series of expressions. The potion, if that was indeed what it was, tasted like a rubbish tip, no, more like a rubbish tip marinated in those spicy Agrabahan peppers. No, she amended again, a spicy pepper covered rubbish tip on fire. It started to burn and she felt as thought she were suffering from fevers. She trembled and for a moment, she was sure he'd poisoned her.

"It will be over in a moment," the sorcerer told her, not unkindly, as he returned to his preparations. He filled the copper bowl with water and began to swirl it with one hand, while chanting. The former queen looked a bit interested, but after watching for a moment went out, returning a little while later, though she said nothing, probably not wanting to interfere. Belle was watching both her husband and the governess, though she still kept on eye on the mirror. Her anger had not gone, but settled into a simmer. A moment later, the sorcerer uncapped one of the vials and poured it into the bowl, causing a small *poof* of smoke.

"The search parties are off. Tink is going to see if she can find anything. She also knows Hook of old. She is taking a mirror to Bae as well as the tracker," his former student said. Clearly she knew exactly when it was safe to talk. He nodded.

"What _are_ you making?" Belle asked from her position, watching with open curiosity.

"What I am _doing_ , my love, which is what you really want to know, is just a little spell." He poured the contents of another vial into the water, and then swirled it again, this time it let off a small cloud of something like steam. "We need to know everything about Allison's encounters with Hook, not to mention confirming that it is him, though how many one handed sailors running around this far from the sea with grudges against me can there possibly be? There are two ways of doing this. One, is that I could go rummaging around in her mind." He gestured to her. The woman looked frightened. "Of course the problem with that is that people are naturally resistant to having other people in their minds, no great surprise. It takes time, it's unpleasant for all concerned, and it can lead to permanent damage. The second, which is what we are doing, is to get you, Allison, to show me what you know. This allows you to...project the full memory into the bowl for all to see. Now, I want you to concentrate on the first time you met him," he ordered. He poured in the contents from another vial and a silver mist rose from the surface. "Now, put your hand in the bowl and stir it."

With great trepidation, she reached out and put a finger into the bowl. An icy sensation crept up her arm. She gasped and tried to pull back but the sorcerer grabbed her hand before she could move. "Keep going, it will stop in a moment." Slowly, she began to do as he asked.

 

"You need to let go of me," the little girl ordered. Rose had been dumped unceremoniously on the ground somewhere. When she could see again, she was in a cave. "Do you know who I _am_? My papa is going to be really cross with you." They had been playing hide and seek in the meadow. She was going to one of her favourite hiding places when he had come out from behind a tree and immobilised her before throwing a dirty sack over her head and carrying her off. He had black hair, and a hook for a hand, and Rose was almost sure she knew who he was, but she wasn't going to let him know that, or that she was frightened. Do the brave thing, her mama always said. What Rose needed was an opening and a plan.

"I know exactly who your papa is. I have known the crocodile for a long time, and we have an old debt to settle. You can try to call him, but it won't work, this place is spelled against him."

The little girl glared at him and reached for her own magic, only to find that she couldn't touch it, anymore than she could move, though on the latter she was starting to feel some release. It was fading. Soon she would be able to move again. Then she needed to figure out what to do.

"Squid ink. Just one of many little things I picked up in my travels," the man smirked. "It doesn't last, but still, there are other ways. There is nothing you can do, little impling, but accept my hospitality. Don't worry, we won't be staying long. But first..." He reached into a rucksack on the dirt and pulled out a pair of manacles. "I picked these up when I was doing some business in another realm, a rather unpleasant witch, not entirely sane I don't think. Though she wouldn't be half bad for a tumble, if you could get past the green skin." He stepped towards the little girl. "These will keep you once the squid ink wears off."

Rose concentrated hard. If she could move, just a little, she could do something. "What are you going to do?" she asked, trying to distract him a little longer.

"These manacles will bind your powers. Then, I am going to take you back with me to my ship. You will sell well in certain quarters. Think of it, a new life. Not that I think you will much enjoy it, but then that's none of my concern." He reached for her wrist.

"My papa will never..."

"You are _never_ going to see your papa again, or your mama. He is going to suffer your loss for the rest of his immortal existence, and if he does, by some miracle, find you, you won't be the little girl he lost anymore. I bet your mama will even blame him. Probably she will leave him. Rumplestiltskin has never been much of a husband from what I know."

"That's not what my mama says," the little girl told him. "That's why I have to knock when I go to their room now, 'cause Mama says they need husband and wife time that's for grown up things."  Her comment worked, the man paused and gave her a funny look, like he bit a whole lemon, only with the green colour that her friend Lily had got when she was sick last winter.  Grown ups were like that when you mentioned grown up things.

"Little..." he growled, reaching down for her wrist and this time, he grabbed it. He got the manacle around it, clamping it shut and reaching for the other, bending close to her. With one big push, she managed to get her leg working, and she kicked him, hard. Rose wasn't even sure where she got him. The pirate let her go with a sound and a word that would have her getting her mouth washed out with soap and no magic lessons for a month, but she could move again and she did, fleeing for the opening where she could see light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I hope you all enjoy this. A new player enters, and we find out what has happened to another one of our characters in the interval. Please enjoy, and do that little thing you do, that keeps me at the writing.


	15. Escape Attempt

 

 

The images faded finally and Allison collapsed back into the chair, feeling as if she had been running up an endless flight of stairs. "Damn it," the sorcerer said. "I was hoping for something, anything that would tell us where he's hiding her."

"I'm sorry," Allison said miserably. Belle was still looking angry but she'd calmed down somewhat. "I wish that I could be more help."

At that moment though, the sorcerer stopped dead in his tracks. Suddenly the face appeared in the mirror. "Tinkerbell..."

"Yes, I felt it too, just for a second," Rumplestiltskin said. "I will be joining the hunt. Between us, we should be able to find where he is hiding and find our daughter. Then he is going to wish I'd done more than taken his hand."

Looking at him, Allison could truly see the feared sorcerer, but behind that, she could also see the angry and frightened father. This was the man who had taken a curse to save his son, who had walked onto a battlefield against ogres to save other children. She could feel the tears start. She felt like the biggest fool in this or any other realm. Blind, she had been so very blind.

 

 

Rose ran for the outside, the manacle dragging loose behind her, and dove for the opening as Hook growled and came up after her. One minute, that's all she needed, one minute outside his anti magic charm. "Pa..." Before she could finish, the pirate fell on her, clamping a hand over her mouth and picking her up. She kicked out at him, and bit down on his hand, but he'd already stepped back into the cave.

"Little Bitch," he cursed, dropping her unceremoniously to the floor. His hand was bleeding from her sharp teeth, he had several scratches from her claws, and she was almost certain that she'd manage to kick him in...well the place where Mulan had taught her was a good place to kick a man. Too bad she hadn't got him harder. Cursing again, he turned and slapped her, leaving a small trail of blood from his hand. "Try that again and I will have to do something unpleasant."

"As if being with you isn't unpleasant enough?" she asked defiantly. Tears were welling in her eyes. No one had ever hit her, not really _hit_ her, not since she got into a fight with a village boy when she was younger and that wasn't the same thing. He wanted her to cry though, and be a baby. She wasn't going to do that, not ever. _When people are angry, they are out of balance_ , her father always told her. Rose knew she just needed to keep him off balance until he made a mistake, that's what her father would do. "And you shouldn't use that kind of language."

He reached out and she thought he was going to hit her again, but she just glared at him. Instead, he grabbed her and clamped the other manacle over her wrist, bringing his hook up against her throat. "I'd be more worried about _your_ language, girlie. I'd prefer to have you in perfect condition, but a few bumps and bruises won't be a problem, especially once you open your mouth, no one will blame me. Or maybe that's what I will do, remove your tongue. You don't need it, your magic will still be useful, and you would certainly be less trouble."

 

"I'm going with you," Belle said to her husband determinedly before he had done more than look around.

"No, you are not," Rumplestiltkin said. "Mirror, have one of those with Tinkerbell call me, it will be the fastest way to locate them." The face in the mirror nodded and disappeared hastily, probably not anxious to stay for the argument that was definitely about to break out. Allison knew she most certainly wished she was somewhere else.

"I am _not_ staying here, waiting for someone to come and tell me what's happening to my family," Belle growled at him, standing straight and glaring at him, hands on her hips.

"Belle, please love. I need someone to stay here, just in case..."

"I'll stay," Regina said from where she had entered unnoticed. The sorcerer gave her a sharp look, but she just continued. "Rose is her daughter too, Rumple. I know how I would feel, and I would be the same. Besides, I need to stay and contact my stepdaughter. She needs to know what's happening.

Rumplestiltskin glared at her a little, but inside he felt a little happiness. So much had changed. There was a time when she could barely speak Snow White's name without insults and imprecations, much less claimed her as family. But he knew one thing for certain, regardless of how he felt about it, if Regina was siding with Belle, he had less than no chance of winning this argument. "Very well. Allison, you are coming too," he ordered, not even turning around.

"Me?" she squeaked. Was he perhaps planning to feed her to something or...well, she had no idea what he might do, to be honest. He was a man whose family she had (unwittingly, but still) endangered. Not that she had any choice in the matter.

"You," the sorcerer confirmed. Belle looked at her husband in confusion. "I have a part of an idea. It's not much, but I might have a use for her. Well, come along, dearie, I hear my call." The woman stood up on shaking legs and walked slowly over to the sorcerer.

"I'll keep an eye on things here," Regina promised. "Go get Rose and bring her home. I'll even help you mount whatever pieces of Hook will want to hang on the wall."

Rumplestiltskin nodded, slipped an arm around his wife's waist and reached out to grab the governess by the wrist. Then the world fell in. One moment she was in the Dark Castle, and the next...well, she wasn't. As soon as she was certain the ground was stable under her, she turned and fled to the nearest bush and was violently ill.

"Travel by magic has that effect sometimes," he said with a shrug. "What do you have?" He turned to the people who had gathered in a small place between the trees on the back side of the mountain. Bae, Roland, Graham, and various of Robin's band were standing there. Even as he asked, Tinkerbell fluttered down to join them.

"Why is _she_ here?" the formerly polite young knight growled. Clearly word had traveled fast, probably with the speed of a former genie.

"Call her a bit of insurance. Now, can someone..."

"I was closer when I felt it. You were right, Rumplestiltskin. While he's managed some kind of charm or spell against magic, he wasn't expecting fairy magic. I still can't exactly feel her, but there is a cave about a half a mile that way, and it stinks of something, like even the natural magic of the rock is missing. It's a strange magic too, I can't quite see it, per se, but it's just something at the edge of my perception. I'd be willing to bet my wings and wand that's where he is hiding her."

"No need to go that far, dearie, but I'm sure you are right. What is the terrain?" he asked.

"Strategically? Good, for him," Graham answered. "I know that cave. Hunters use it occasionally in bad weather, but it's off the beaten path, and the terrain from here on is rough. The entrance to the cave is narrow, where the hill folds, and the best approach is a small trail, more of a goat track than anything else."

"Show me," Rumplestiltksin said, causing a map to appear. "What we need is the right plan...".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so here is a little more to keep you going. I will be out of town for a few days, which does not mean I wont get any writing done, but it could. Please enjoy.


	16. Trap

 

"I think once darkness falls, it will be time to move, it won't be as easy in the dark, but much safer. I would worry about the wolf, but seeing as a little bird told me that she is about to spawn... it should be simple enough. Few people will want to search these woods at night. Now we just..." He paused. From outside came the sound of someone calling out. Moving quickly, Hook stuck his head out of the cave with cautious. Then he saw who it was. "Interesting. I'm afraid this is going to get unpleasant for you."

"What are you going to do?" Rose started, but before she could say more, he stuffed a rag into her mouth, deftly tying the nasty thing in place, as if he had done it more than once.

"Now, you just sit there like a good girl and be quiet, while I go and see what is going on." From her place, Rose just glared at him.

 

"Rose...Rose, where _are_ you? Stupid girl," the last was said quietly though not silently. _Act like yourself_ , the imp had said. _Terrified? Horrified_? she thought. Allison was entirely sure that wasn't what he meant though, at least about acting like herself. Right now she wasn't entirely sure exactly who she was anymore. "Come out girl, the game is over and your mother is worried!" The last she shouted as if in frustration.

"Allison?" Hook appeared at the mouth of the cave. She cried out as if startled, and startled she was, at least by knowing exactly who the man she had almost lost her heart to was.

"Killian, what...what are _you_ doing here? You should go, it could be dangerous for you here. That wretched girl, the sorcerer's daughter, she has gone missing and the Lady Belle has us searching the woods. I don't know what will happen when her father returns." She produced a very real shudder.

"The Dark One does not know?" the pirate asked, not bothering to say anything about Rose's disappearance.

"He was called away to a deal just as we were leaving. Lady Belle, unsurprisingly, wants us to find her before he returns," she repeated the story they had made her memorise when she had got her instructions. "And so I am stuck out here searching these gods forsaken woods. Personally, I doubt she has gone this far. I was just about to start back when I found this...goat track."

"It is awful. How did it happen?" he asked with a smile that she now knew held no sincerity.

"After you and I spoke, I went back. The imp gave them a lesson in some sort of vile magic and then Grace took them to play while we packed things away. I should have gone with them. It could have been the princess that got lost," Allison cried.

"Now, now," Killian said, slipping an arm around her. Allison steeled herself as he touched her. It took effort not to pull away, now that she knew who he was and how he had used her. "Surely she will be found by now. In fact, I will bet she is probably already back by now. I've certainly not seen anyone come this way."

"Perhaps you are right. Her brother and the gamekeeper are searching up the other side of the mountain, though apparently it's harder going, and the fairy has gone towards the lake with that strange Jefferson person. I was told to keep following the path. But you _should_ go.  Now. What are you doing up here anyway? You could be in danger. If he comes back and finds you..."

"I will be fine, love. I heard movement in the woods and slipped into the cave to make sure I wasn't seen. But you are the one that should go. We should not be seen together, or you could be in danger as well," Killian told her with what she once thought a charming smile.

"Will I...will I see you later?" she asked. After all, he would expect it.

"I'll be at our usual place tomorrow, if it's safe," Killian lied glibly. _Like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth_ , she thought viciously. _How could I have been so blind to fall for him?_

 

"Well, well, I knew cultivating that little bird would prove useful," Killian Jones said as he came back into the cave ridiculously pleased with himself. "Pity, she might have been a bit of fun, given the right encouragement. The more repressed they are...But that doesn't matter now.  What does matter is that I know where the searchers are." He grinned at Rose where she sat shackled on a rock, the chains attached to an iron ring that had been driven into the rock. She glared at him. It was clear from the look of things that he had been living in the cave, his bed roll was on the floor, the remains of a fire were where the wind could easily draw the smoke away, though it had long gone out, and his belongings had been laid out on various ledges and projections. Nothing was near enough for her to use as a weapon though. Instead, she glared at him from behind the gag, as if she could burn him with her eyes. "Now I think I can move up our time frame. The good news is that you will be getting out of this cave much sooner. With your father away, everyone thinks you've simply run off. You and I will be long gone before they know any better."

Rose tried to hide the fear that his words caused and continued to glare at him as she watched him move around the cave, packing away his things in a leather rucksack. "See, you won't have to worry about the accommodations, well, not _these_ accommodations. No more caves for you." He laughed as if inordinately pleased with himself. But even as he said it, Rose spotted something, a face in the shaving mirror propped up on a small ledge with his kit, behind him. The magic mirror put a finger to his lips and winked before disappearing as Hook turned to grab it and throw it and the rest of his things in the bag, pausing only to wrap the mirror in a bit of fabric. Rose felt the fear recede. Now she knew that she was found, that someone knew where she was, and if the mirror was looking for her, that meant even more, for he was attached to Regina, which meant her father was involved. Now that she knew _that_ , she knew that there was a plan and she was going to be rescued.

"Come on then, it's time for us to get going. We will be far away before the crocodile returns to find his precious baby missing." He released the chains from the ring and tugged her to her feet by them. "Come along girl, you can walk or I'll throw you back in the sack and carry you," he threatened.

Slowly, giving him her best haughty look, the one she learned from Princess Alexandria, she rose from her place, head high. He tugged at the chains, bringing them up short. She felt like she was a horse on a short rein or possibly a dog on a leash. She let out a frustrated growl from behind the gag and allowed herself to be dragged out of the cave.

"Let's go girl," he said as she paused in the entrance. "I will drag you down the mountain if I have to. You should only get a few bumps and bruises, if you bruise with those scales." Hook shoved her before him, prodding her with the metal that gave him his name, holding the chain in his hand. The path was rocky beneath her feet, but she felt much better out in the air. Immediately, she started to look around. That her father was planning her rescue, she was completely certain. But Rose knew that she could not just stand by either. She was not some princess to be rescued, she was going to be a powerful Mage like her father, and she was determined to be ready to help herself.

"Well, look what we have here," a sing song voice said, from behind them. There between the two of them and the cave entrance was Rumplestiltskin, and despite the deceptive tone of his voice, his eyes were burning with pure rage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long but I was out of town. Back now, and we are almost to the end. Be sure to do that thing that needs to be done.


	17. Confrontation

 

 

"So, the crocodile has come out to play. But I have the advantage this time," Killian Jones said, turning his hook across her throat, pulling her closer to his body, even while Rose squirmed. "Make one move and I'll slit her throat and leave you helpless to save her, just like I was."

"Play? I'm not the one hiding behind a child. Of course, you always were the sort of coward and bully who prefers to attack those smaller and weaker than you are, just to make yourself look good," the sorcerer shot back through tight lips. He was holding himself stiffly, the cold facade barely containing what boiled beneath.

Rose tried to keep her body still and think. This was a situation that required her to be brave. 'Do the brave thing and bravery will follow,' her mother always said. For a moment, Rose wondered where her mother was, and wondered if she would be in time to see her die. Then she shook off those thoughts. Her papa was going to save her, she knew it. But she needed to take stock. She didn't have access to her magic, so she needed something else. Mulan always said to depend on her natural attributes. Her claws were useless at the moment, trapped by the short chain in front of her, and her movement was limited. That only left one thing.

Rose started by biting down on the old rag in her mouth, shifting to get the strip of fabric binding it into her mouth rather than trying to keep it out. It tasted nasty and she didn't really want to think about what the pirate had used it for. But still, she shifted and ground down on the strip. She only needed to get it loose on one side. It cut into the sides of her mouth and her scales, fresh from shedding only a couple of days before, were still tender, but she kept at it. What she really needed was for him to release the chains. If she just had a little slack...So she needed to make him loosen them. Then she would get her claws on him.

"You don't deserve a child, a family. Who are you to call _me_ a bully? You, who killed the woman _I_ loved," the pirate spat.

"Who am I? I'm the man who you kicked to the floor for nothing other than the crime of wanting his wife home with her son, not out spending what little we had carousing with the likes of _you_. She was as bad as you, you deserved each other," the sorcerer sneered. Anyone who didn't know him would think he was getting drawn into the argument, rather than trying to wrong foot the other man. "I thought I loved her once too, before I knew what True Love was. I gave her a good life, it wasn't a lot, but she had home, and a beautiful son. I worked hard for her, for them, to make a life for us, but what did she do? She took my meagre earnings and left our son alone. What kind of woman does that? Tell me, did she buy her own drinks, and yours as well, or when she ran out of coin did she pay in another..."  He stopped.  There were lengths that he would not go to, not in front of his son, even though Bae knew by now about his mother, still, he could not, and not in front of Rose.

"Why you... You were useless, a coward, a..." Hook was so mad he was literally spitting.

"I'd stop there," a voice addressed him from over the curve of the rock. "You've certainly no place to talk, especially when you gave the son of the woman you supposedly loved over to that sadistic bastard, Pan." Baelfire was standing there, glaring down from the high ground.

"Bae...I see you made it back safely." The pirate calmed just a little, but he also looked a little disturbed by the young man confronting him.

"Yes, no thanks to you. But then pirates can't be trusted, so I suppose you and she did deserve each other, like my papa says. The difference is, she left me somewhere safe, and you traded me for your safety."

"It wasn't like that," the pirate said, suddenly trying to justify his behaviour. "You don't understand. Come on boy, he killed..."

"I know what my father has done for me," Bae said.

"Why don't I just shoot the bastard?" another voice asked as several men seemed to melt out of the rough forest from the other side, all armed with bows, along with an oddly dressed woman.

"I would offer him honourable combat, but one who makes war with children has no honour," she declared, casting a dark and haughty look at him. Now Hook was starting to look a little concerned. His grip loosened just a little.

 _Soon_ , Rose told herself and kept chewing, trying to remember everything Mulan had taught her about tactics. While her rescue party had been distracting him, she had almost gotten through the fabric. Now she just needed the right opening. She tried to catch her father's eye. He caught her gaze and she could see it, despite his outward calm, he was worried. Worried was dangerous with her father, but she shifted the cloth, hoping he could see what she was doing. He nodded, once.

"You bastard, you let go of my daughter or I..."

"Belle," Rumplestiltskin cried. He'd left her with the rest of their volunteer search party as they had set up their little ambush, and he thought she would stay there with those who were guarding the trail to keep him from retreating, but he should have known better. Of course, there was no way she was going to stay behind, his love was a fierce as a mother tiger. Beside her, Red growled softly, as did Graham, surprisingly similar for all he was human, on her other side.

"So you are the beauty who fell for the Beast, or was it some sort of spell? Are you even sure yourself? Surely he is not worthy of your..."

Taking advantage of his distraction, feeling just a little more slack, Rose spit out the rag, and turned her head into the arm across her, sinking her fangs deep into his restraining arm.

"Ahhhh," he cried, releasing the chains to try to pull her off. The girl responded by bring her head back sharply, hitting his chin hard. With her hands still bound together, the girl didn't stop, but brought up her fingers, clawing at whatever she could reach. He grabbed her hair trying to get her off and she released him only for a moment, before biting down again, this time into his leading shoulder. "Why you little..." he growled, tugging. Around him, weapons were trained on the struggling pair as someone tried to find a way to get a clean shot off.

"Rose," Belle shouted, struggling against restraining hands to get to her daughter. No one wanted her in the line of fire.

"Rose, Down!" her father commanded. She released the pirate and allowed her body to go limp, only losing a few strands of hair as she was suddenly nothing more than dead weight. Even more chaos erupted then. An arrow found its mark in Killian Jones' already bleeding arm, and purple swirls of pure magic froze the man on the spot. Belle broke free and rushed him, landing first a punch that split his lip, and then a kick that brought a wince to many watching. No one said a word though, as the pirate let out a...sound. Held as he was by the bonds of magic, Hook could neither defend himself nor curl around the damaged areas in pain.

Belle gathered her daughter into her arms and she shed tears of relief. "We've got him, sir," Graham said as he and one of Robin's men grabbed the pirate. If one of them happened to grab his injured arm a little harder than was necessary, well, he wasn't in a position to complain. Tink fluttered down and produced ropes to bind him. Even the ever happy and positive fairy had a dirty look on her face, and no one was necessarily certain that young Baelfire or Mulan was safe near him, or rather that he was safe near either of them.

Rumplestitlskin stood, his eyes completely black for the first time in years. No one dared approach, or no one that wasn't already doing something else. "Papa," Rose cried. Suddenly his whole demeanour changed, gone was the raging and distant sorcerer who had held everything together during the crises, replaced by the father. He rushed to their side, gathering his wife and daughter close to him.

"Ho..." Hook started, but a gag appeared in his mouth, causing whatever else he was going to say to end in an undignified *gwawp*. Not that he had much dignity left. His lip was bleeding, darkening the gag, he had a bruise on his jaw, an arrow in one arm, not to mention numerous bites and scratches from the irate child, and some other injuries that were...less visible. Belle had good aim.

Now that Rose was safe, now wrapped up in the arms of her mother and father, joined by her brother, holding on to all of them, no one was quite sure what was going to happen next, and they didn't dare ask. Honestly, after the attack on young Rose, most didn't care, and the rest, those closest to the family, were more than willing to offer creative suggestions.

After a few moments, the sorcerer finally released them, a little. "First things first," he said, and with a wave, Killian Jones disappeared.

"What did you do with him?" Jefferson asked curiously, not that he cared that much, having joined them from where he had been with the group down on the path.

"Dungeon. The rest can be settled later. Now, these things," he said, looking at the manacles. "They are magic proof. Damn, I should have got the key from him first."

"No need," Young Roland said, coming forward. He looked at them and after a moment, and the use of a metal...something he pulled from a belt pouch, first one, then the other manacle and then the shackles were opened. "What? It's a useful skill. It's what comes from growing up with outlaws," he said with a grin. Rumplestiltskin asked Graham to gather them up to take to the Castle. He wasn't ready to let go of his daughter yet.

"Now, I think it's time we all went home," Rumplestiltskin said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope you all enjoy this. There is still the wrap up of course, but hopefullly you enjoy this little interlude.


	18. Home again

Dinner at the Dark Castle that night had taken on the air of a celebration and if some of the merriment seemed just a bit forced, well, everyone knew the pirate was, even now, incarcerated in the castle’s dungeon. He had been sent there after Doc, the dwarf, had removed the arrow (none too gently) from his arm, though they had left the gag. One thing the prisoner was not going to do, was die accidentally.

The villagers who had volunteered to help had been sent back with Rumplestiltskin’s thanks and the promise of free drinks for all at the tavern, while Red had returned to Granny and Willow, but everyone else was there, the large table holding more people than it had done, probably since Rose’s naming.

Regina and Robin had elected to stay, with their men and Roland, not to mention Henry, who was playing with Laurel some game of their own devising. Graham had taken himself off to the kitchen with Dove and young Thomas. Not only was the gamekeeper still wary of crowds, but despite having mostly made his peace with Regina, he still wasn’t going to sit down with her, no matter how big the table. Nova and Tink were also there, along with several dwarves, including the former fairy’s husband, once again Dreamy.

Rose had been cleaned up and given a thorough going over by both of her parents, physically and magically. Emma and Grace were by her side, and everyone kept looking at her as if to be certain she was safe and there with them.

She told them her story, only pausing, a little embarrassed, when she mentioned kicking the pirate where Mulan had always told her did the most good. “You did well,” her godmother told her, high praise indeed from a woman of few words.

“Between her and her mother, he’ll be lucky if he ever…” Jefferson started, but trailed off. Everyone had been avoiding the subject of what came next.

“No great loss then,” Regina commented.

 

Missing from the table was Allison. The royal governess (former she was sure, though nothing had been said yet) had gone straight to her room, not feeling that she had any place among the group of celebrating people. No one would miss her, certainly. Instead, she looked around the beautiful room that she’d been given. Part of her wanted to go down, to find the dungeon and get some answers. Really, she knew it was nothing, the man had just been using her. But still, she could wish. She was also wondering what was going to happen to her.

At the very least, she expected to lose her job, with very little chance of another one, not now. Of course, that was assuming that she didn’t end up as a snail, or a kitten, or whatever the sorcerer was in the mood for or felt appropriate. _At least Princess Emma likes cats. Maybe she will take me in, she has a good heart_ , she thought, even though she had been less than gracious about the one the girls had rescued. _I wonder if it’s possible to be allergic to yourself?_

 

After dinner, Rose, Emma and Grace went up to the nursery with Laura. “Would you like to stay?” Rumplestiltskin asked Regina, Robin and the rest of their men.

“No thank you,” she told him politely. “We need to get back.”

“Thank you, all of you, for your help,” Belle said. The two of them had also reached a peace.

“I’m glad I could. I know that if something happened to Henry, you would do the same. What are you planning to _do_ with him anyway? I mean, you could mount his head on the wall, but I don’t think it would add to the decor. Not sure he would make a decent snail, either.”

“I have a few ideas about that, don’t you worry, dearie. I will think of something,” the imp said with a smile no one had seen in many years.

“Well, enjoy yourself, just not too much,” she reminded him. Staying on the side of good was not always easy, even after so long. They said their goodbyes and then they and their men left the castle. Even the genie had left the mirror. Tinkerbell left soon after, taking Mulan with her. The fairy was much more comfortable at the Dark Castle than any fairy should be, but she still rarely stayed the night, and this time was definitely _not_ the time to do so.

“If you wish help…” Mulan offered, but Rumplestiltskin assured her that he had everything under control. “Remember, one should never handle such things in anger.” Then she turned to join the fairy. The sorcerer knew what he was doing.

“What _are_ you going to do with him?” Jefferson asked from his place by the fire. “And what about _her_?” He nodded towards the upper floor.

“On the pirate, I have a few ideas, but the governess, she is a different matter, and much harder. She was gullible, and prejudiced. Jones took advantage of her. He’s always had a way with women, and she was easy prey, vulnerable to his form of charm.” He spat the last word out like a bad taste.  He knew what it was to be taken advantage of, certainly Cora had taken advantage of him once upon a time.

“She endangered Rose,” Bae said. “But I don’t want you to start down…” The young knight paused. He knew how far his father had come, but he also remembered the dark days, and despite Rumplestiltskin’s reform, his son was always conscious of the danger that came from giving in. His father smiled and ruffled his hair as he’d done when Bae was younger, though now he stood taller than the imp by half a head.

“There is no danger there, Bae. I would never do anything to jeopardise what I have, no matter how much I might want revenge. That is a road I am determined _not_ to go down ever again. Now, as to what to do with her, well, I believe that she has learned her lesson, or at least one of them. Still, I'm not inclined to simply let her go.”

“Rumple, I’m just as angry as you are,” Belle told him, sitting down in her favourite spot and waving him besides her, while their son threw himself into the other chair in the boneless way that only the young, (and Jefferson) could manage. “On the other hand, we all know how important redemption can be. Perhaps there is some way to assure her lesson sticks.”

“You are always willing to see the best in people, love,” Rumplestiltskin said fondly. “Otherwise you would never have fallen in love with this old monster.”

Belle slapped him lightly on the arm, as she always did. “You are no monster. Neither is she. Jones on the other hand…At first I was so angry with her, but then I remembered how hard it was for you to struggle against the darkness. Prejudice and bigotry are just a different form of darkness, and probably just as difficult to overcome.”

“Hmmm, an object lesson,” the sorcerer mused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, so there is, I think, just one more post, and that one to wrap things up. I hope you have enjoyed. Sorry its been a while, but I was preparing to help run, and then running, an event. Now I am home and back at the computer. Please do that little thing you do.


	19. Object lessons

 

It was with great trepidation that Allison entered the great hall of the Dark Castle. She had not seen either her charge or anyone else for that matter, since they had returned, or not until the boy, Thomas, had come with the summons. Now it was late, but she knew that they would not wait long to decide her fate.

In the great hall she was not surprised to see King David and Queen Snow sitting at the long table with the sorcerer and his wife. Neither of them looked happy, and she wondered if the sorcerer had transported them away from something important. They were the only ones in the room at least, which she found only slightly better. At least she would not be shamed before everyone, turned out publicly, unless they were planning on doing it formally in the morning.

“Your Majesties,” she said, curtseying. “I…”

“I think that it’s best for you to keep quiet. You have done quite a bit already, betrayed one of our closest allies, almost got little Rose…Well, just enough,” Snow burst out, agitated.

“I’m sorry,” she said miserably. It was terribly inadequate and they all knew it. “I know that I can never make up for what I’ve done. I hope that I can…” Allison stopped. She had no idea what she was appealing to, or who. There was no excuse except her own naïveté and prejudice and that certainly did not excuse her actions.

“I cannot have you teaching and caring for my daughter. She needs to grow up to be a good queen for everyone, _all_ of her people, and while Rumplestitlskin and his wife have assured me that it was not deliberate, and that the help you gave in the rescue was invaluable…”

“I understand, your Majesty,” she responded, looking down. She had been expecting it. The question was, what would happen _now_?

“However, _I_ have a bit of a proposition for you,” the imp said, speaking up for the first time.

“A…a proposition?” she asked, cautiously, confused by the statement. Surely he was going to turn her into something or…well, she had no idea beyond that.

“The queen tells me that you are a good teacher, outside some glaring biases that I think today's events have at least addressed somewhat.”

“I try.” Allison didn’t know what to say. It was not possible he was suggesting that she come work for _him_? “What is it that you…”

“You have allowed yourself to harbour prejudices and tried to foster bigotry about those who are different, nonhuman or magical. I very seriously doubt you came by these ideas on your own, people rarely do, but we believe that you have made a start in learning better,” Belle added. “To that end, we have arranged a new position for you.”

“A new position, my lady? Tha…thank you, Lady Belle, but what kind of position? You don’t think your daughter…”

“No, not our daughter. I think Rose would be unlikely to accept you and a level of respect is generally helpful. No, not Rose, Princess Stella, daughter of Eric and Ariel,” Rumplestiltskin said with a smile.

“But don’t they….isn’t she required to spend a certain amount of time in the ocean? I cannot even swim,” she told them honestly. It was better than a snail but really, how could she teach a _mermaid_?

“Oh, don’t you worry about that, dearie, leave that part to me. Do you accept?” he asked.

“Do I have a choice?” Allison asked. Not that she necessarily wanted to anger any of them, not now, her position was precarious enough. But it was better than being turned out without a job or worse, and she was certain that there could be much worse.

“There is always a choice,” Rumplestiltskin told her.

“If you accept, there will be no further action from us, and if you do well, we will say nothing about what has happened,” the king said, speaking for the first time.

“I accept,” Allison said after a few moments of thought. After all, what else could she do? Go and try to get a job as a village school teacher?

“Excellent. Oh, you will also be giving lessons on our world from time to time to her cousins,” the sorcerer added as she was dismissed.

 

“So crocodile, I suppose you have come to kill me, or is it to be torture?” Killian asked. He was chained to the wall in an extremely dark dungeon. It had been hours, or at least he assumed it had been, it was hard to tell. His wound had been dressed with rough efficiency and no concern for the patient. In fact, when he had commented, the doctor, a dwarf, had growled at him.

“I delivered that little girl. If you don’t like my care, I’ll put the arrow back and leave you to whatever fate they have planned for you _with_ the wound.” The pirate had been wise enough to shut up then.

“Torture? Nah, I’m trying to cut back. My wife doesn’t like it. It’s the clean up, you see, messy business, interferes with the domestic arrangements.” He giggled. Killian Jones had known he was in mortal peril, but something in that impish, high pitched sound made his blood run cold. Of course, he had no intention of allowing the blasted creature to see that.

“Death then. How is it to be, my heart crushed to powder like my beloved Milah?”

“Speaking of that whore in this house will not anger me enough to hurry things, if that is your plan,” Rumplestiltskin told him as he stepped into the cell, pulling the door behind him. “This sort of thing, any revenge really, it should never be approached in anger. It ruins the planning and the execution, causes mistakes, but I think you know _that_ already. I considered briefly a simple transformation spell.”

“Snail?” Jones sneered.

“Girl.” The imp looked at him, moving closer, each step slow, calculated, though not close enough for the pirate to reach him, not that he was going to try, not against magic. “Unfortunately, I have a deep aversion to those who traffic in lives, human or otherwise, so I would be at least as tempted to do something unpleasant to the purchaser. A public service, but still, you see my dilemma.”

Killian Jones was not certain how to react. That the imp would consider it was enough to make the pirate wonder what could possibly be worse. For worse, he was certain it was. He’d known enough of Rumplestiltskin before he started his quest for revenge to know that one of them would likely die, and he was self aware enough to realised that it could just as easily be him. The imp was both cunning and intelligent. Now he was wondering exactly what being on the wrong side of a well planned and executed vengeance would involve, and whether or not he would have been better off if they had killed him. “So what is it to be then? I don't suppose I could talk you into an honourable duel?” Killian decided brazen was his best course, or as good as any other at least.

“An _honourable_ duel with a pirate?” Rumplestiltskin asked with an amused smile, that disappeared quickly. “Interesting idea. I’ve learned a great deal since our first duel. I’m no longer the lame peasant that you spit on to amuse your hangers on for trying to save his family. That man is long gone. But no, you are going to live a long time, or at least…well, you might. I suppose it depends on how fast you are,” he said. “I’ll be back for you in the morning. Sleep well, Hook, or as well as you can…” The impish giggle seemed to linger long after Rumplestiltskin was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's been a while. I got caught up with finishing a very old story (like close to two decades, see, I always finish) and family things, not to mention editing my novel. One more post and we are done with this. Thank you for hanging in, I planned to finish tonight, but I ran out of time. Please do the thing, you know, that thing.


	20. Just deserts

 

For Killian Jones, the night was simultaneously interminably long, and unbearably short. By the time sleep finally claimed him, it felt as if most of the night had passed, but as his sleep was punctuated by nightmares, being awakened was something of a blessing.

“Time to deal with you once and for all,” Rumplestiltksin said. His servant Dove entered and unchained him from the wall, but did not remove his manacles. Instead, he prodded him forward. Outside the cell door, Bae was standing with his father. As soon as they were through, the young man grabbed one of his arms, the uninjured one, and began dragging him out of the dungeon while the silent servant followed with his master.

“Letting your son do your dirty work, Crocodile?” Hook asked as he was shoved, blinking, into the light of the morning in the castle’s courtyard.

“If my father would have allowed it, you wouldn't have survived the night,” Baelfire snarled at him. Standing in the courtyard waiting for them was the other man, Jefferson, the realm hopper, and Lady Belle. Of the girl there was no sign.

“My lady,” Hook greeted her, all his cocky charm in place. “I would bow but…”

“You don’t speak to my mother,” Bae growled.

“Your mother, hardly. Your mother was…”

“The woman who bore me was your whore, a woman who abandoned her child to spend what little coin we had drinking with the likes of _you_ in preference to attending to her duties and her family. Belle has been more mother to me than she _ever_ was,” the young man spat in disgust. Hook opened his mouth to offer an argument. 

“I can always put the gag back,” Rumplestiltskin offered helpfully. The pirate closed his mouth.

“In general, I object to passing our problems on to other realms,” Jefferson said, stepping forward with his hat. “But in this case, I think an exception can be made.” He gave the hat a spin and stepped back. As the portal formed, Hook found himself shoved through, with only a moment to wonder where he was going and if he was going alone.

He landed in a clearing in a dense jungle, the sorcerer, his son, and the realm hopper behind him. “Where are we?” the pirate asked. “And are you planning on leaving me here in chains with no way to defend myself?”

“As amusing as that might be, no. Do you not recognise this place? How quickly they forget,” the sorcerer said. “Welcome back to Neverland.” The imp was smiling entirely too much for Hook’s comfort, but really, how bad could it be?

“Thought you did away with Pan, so what, you are leaving me here alone?” the man asked suspiciously. It didn’t seem such a horrible fate as all that. “Dull, but I suppose I will manage.” Certainly he knew how to survive here. _The crocodile has finally slipped. It will take some time, but I will escape._

“Alone? Not exactly. You are right, I did deal with Pan, but not the shadow that inhabited him. Like my own curse, the spirit is more or less immortal. But that is not the only inhabitant in this realm, or even on this island.” He nodded to his son.

Baelfire smiled and then let out a sharp whistle, then two more. A few moments later, there was an answer, then another.

“I thought…surely you didn’t _leave_ them,” Jones began. He was getting a very bad feeling.

“We took away all the boys who wanted to go, but the rest, Felix and some of the less sane and more dangerous, they were offered the choice, they chose to stay,” the young knight explained. “How many of them did you take shots at, or have our men fought against?”

“Only those that attacked us,” he responded defensively. “Surely you aren’t going to leave me here, chained up with that gang of mad children?”

“You expect fair treatment? You, a man who tried to kidnap my child and sell her into slavery?” Rumplestiltskin asked. For a movement Hook was at a loss.  "But no, as I said, you _could_ have a long life, and I keep my word. Jefferson.” The other man, who had said nothing since they arrived, reopened the portal. Rumplestiltskin took a leather sack from over his shoulder and tossed it at the pirate’s feet. "There is a key in there, as well as your cutlass and pistol. Of course, you only have the one shot, so I would chose wisely,” he advised as Killian scrambled for the bag. Around them, a rustling could be heard in the underbrush.

“If you want my advice,” Bae told him. “Run.” Then he stepped back to join his father and the other man as they walked through the portal.

Growling, Killian Jones threw himself after them, only to watch as it closed in his face. Around him, the rustling was growing louder, and he could hear the whistles and bird calls that served as a sort of language among the lost boys when they were playing or hunting, which with them was much the same thing. He grabbed the bag and took to his heels. Behind him, he thought he could almost hear the imp laughing.

 

As the three men stepped out of the portal, they were greeted excitedly. “Papa, Papa,’ Rose said as she threw herself into her father’s arms.

“I’m right here, Rosie, love. Everything is fine,” he reassured her before releasing her so she could hug her brother.

“I take it everything went smoothly” Belle asked as she put her arms around her husband. It was hard to admit, but she had been terrified from the moment he set foot into the portal with the pirate who had tried to destroy her family.

“Smoothly enough, yes. Now perhaps we can have some peace.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we have come to the end of at least this story, but there are still other tales to be told in this universe. I will be working on finishing up some of my other open stories, but I know there will be more. I also take prompts on my tumblr at rioghna7. Hope you have enjoyed the story, and please do that thing you do.

**Author's Note:**

> So I wasn't planning on starting another story right now til I got some of the others cleared up, but the muse didn't agree. Plus I needed to write something a little light at the moment to clear out the cobwebs.


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